Surviving In A Dead World
by AtomicBaby
Summary: Riley Addams is alone in a state she doesn't know, and the world has gone to shit. She's used to being alone, and used to getting hurt. She won't let herself fall in love. But when she encounters two redneck brothers in the woods, one of them will change her life forever. Or for however long she can survive. Rated M for language, gore and smut, cos I have a terrible dirty mind.
1. Chapter 1

**Surviving In A Dead World**

**Chapter One**

**(this will be a Daryl/OFC love story but for now I just wanna set the scene. I've never written before so feedback would be gratefully appreciated)**

Daryl watched from the camoflage of the bushes, and down the aim of his bow, as the doe bent her front legs to gracefully take a sip from the creek. His fingers twitched, ready to aim. One quick, swift arrow and dinner would be served. He curved his finger around the trigger and took a deep breath, not making a single sound. Then he heard it. The snap of a branch. He growled in frustration as the doe's head shot straight up, her eyes wide in a panic, and took off further into the forest. He sighed, sligning his bow back over his shoulder and emerged from the bushes.

"God damn you Merle!" he growled as his older brother emerged from where he was hidden. The older man scowled at him, putting his hunting knife back into its holster.

"That weren't me little brother, sure it weren't your clumsy ass?" he drawled

"Like hell it was, could'a been one of the kids from camp" Daryl bent down, looking for tracks of another animal. Anything.

"Damn brats" Merle growled, looking around the clearing, his hand on his knife.

"They aint that bad" his brother said, and Merle chuckled

"You gettin all broody there Darylina? Never thought you'd be the kinda girl to settle down"

"Shut up" Daryl sighed, getting up off his knees "Looks like that doe werent the only one here recently, we could track somethin' else before dark"

"Or we could just sit around and play tea party with all those little girls" Merle grinned, teasing his brother, Daryl scowled at him. "Well come on then, lead the way baby brother" Merle gave his sibling a shove. They moved on further and deeper into the forest, the late afternoon Georgia sun beating down on them through the trees. Daryl was getting frustrated, the doe's trail seemed to have gone cold, and he couldnt put up with Merle's bitching at him for much longer. Then he noticed something in the dirt, he flung his arm out behind him, narrowly missing his brother. Merle opened his mouth to bitch some more, but Daryl put a finger to his lips. Merle bent down beside him and examined the track.

"Biter?" he whispered "Definately human"

"A girl" Daryl studied the shape of the print "Too small to be a man, too narrow"

"Well let's find the bitch and put a bullet in her brain" Merle grinned, loading up his gun.

"She aint been gone long, we dont know if it's a biter" Daryl said, but he still loaded up his bow all the same, couldnt afford to be caught off guard nowadays, especially not since what happened before they left home. Merle grunted in response.

"There's blood" he said, pointing to the drops of dark red on the nearby tree trunk. He rubbed the trunk and brought his fingers up into the sunlight. "Fresh"

"hmm" Daryl mumbled, and took a step forward. Then he heard it. Rustling. Footsteps. "Merle" he pointed to his left hand side, his brother nodded, raising his gun. The footsteps got closer and closer, the rustling louder, someone, or some_thing_ was really making a run for it, and getting closer to them. Daryl spun to his left, raising his bow. He squinted, trying to make out what was coming towards him, but all he could see was a small black shape. Merle cocked his gun, making kissing noises. If it was a biter, the sound would draw them out. But nothing.

"Aw to hell with this" Daryl growled, frustrated, and he blindly shot an arrow. He heard it connect with a tree, and he also heard a small gasp of shock. He looked at his brother "That were'nt a walker"

Merle shook his head, lowering his gun. He gesutred to Daryl to follow him as he took cautious steps into the bushes. "Oh ho ho lookie here" he chuckled softly, looking straight ahead of him. Daryl followed his brother's eyeline. Right next to the tree where his arrow had hit, stood a girl. Well, a woman, must have been about 25. She was clutching a baseball bat, her back leaning against the tree, panting heavily. She had a large backpack upon her back, dressed in a white cami top, ripped jeans and Dc Marten's. Her hair was dark brown, her eyes a piercing blue and she had a nose ring. Daryl also noticed her arm was cut, bad. The gash was deep, blood trickling down her arm and on her top. Her blood was on the tree, but it wasnt a bite. It was too neat to be a bite. She was unlike any of the women back at camp, Daryl thought, she was...pretty. Real pretty. He could see his brother thought so too, unable to take his eyes off of her. But still, couldnt be too careful these days, and as the brothers stepped out of the bushes, they raised their weapons towards the girl, who spun around to face them, her eyes wide in a panic, and promptly proceeded to pass out. She hit the forest floor with a soft _thump_.

"Jesus Christ" Merle sighed as he walked over to inspect her "Women are nuts, didnt even do anything and she flakes on us" he turned her over "She's sure a pretty thing aint she Daryl? She's still breathin, and the cut on her arm aint gonna be fatal" he stood back up

"You aint just gonna leave her out here?" Daryl raised an eyebrow as his brother began to walk away from the girl "She'll be biter meat, with that cut"

"What, you suggestin we take her back to camp?"

"Just to patch her up, they aint gonna let her stay" Daryl looked at the girl on the ground "She looks like she's had a tough time"

"We all have little brother, just cos she's pretty dont make her no different to the rest of us" Merle sighed, and then grinned "You thinkin you gonna get some of that?"

"No" Daryl growled "She's just...shes weak that's all, she looks like she aint eaten for days"

Merle chuckled

"Well maybe I might get me some of that, shame to let her go to waste." Daryl rolled his eyes. Merle tore off one of his shirt sleeves, quickly making a tourniquet for the girl's arm. Even though 99% of the time, Merle Dixon was an asshole, Daryl knew his brother wasnt all that bad. "Well, come on then, pick her up"

"Why me?!"

"Cos you're the one who wants to save her, Saint Daryl" Merle took his brothers' crossbow and slung it over his shoulder, as well as the girl's backpack and bat. Daryl sighed, bending down and picking up the girl. She wasn't heavy, not at all, he easily managed to put her in his arms, bridal style. His brother raised his eyebrows.

"I aint gunna throw her over my shoulder, she aint a kill" Daryl grunted at his brother just to shut him up. Merle laughed and walked on ahead. Daryl looked down at the unconcious girl in his arms, she really was pretty. And she smelled amazing, even if she had been on the run for days. He noticed a cut on her cheek, and she was filthy. Poor kid.

"Pick up the pace little brother" Merle yelled from ahead of him "This aint no time to be fallin' in love!"

"I aint" Daryl grunted, to no-one in particular. When they made it back to camp, everyone's eyes went straight to the mysterious girl in Daryl's arms, and the tourniquet on her arm.

"That wasn't quite what we were expecting" an old man by the name of Dale, chuckled "Bit different to deer, isnt she?"

"How badly is she hurt?" A tall, skinny woman named Lori asked, as she came over to Daryl "Here, take her into my tent" she said, leading Daryl over to where her tent was pitched. "Carl, fetch me some bandages" Lori said, looking over at her son. He was at least 12, pale and skinny like his mama. Kid's dad had been shot and killed before they left Atlanta, and now his mom was sleeping with his dad's best friend, the muscly guy, the police officer, Shane, although everybody pretended not to know. Carl dashed over to where all the medical supplies were kept, in Dale's RV and grabbed some bandages and some antiseptic liquid. Daryl led the girl down on Lori's camp bed.

"She passed out on us in the forest" he said to Lori, as she took the tourniquet off of her arm "Dont know her name or nothin', Merle's got her stuff"

"Thank you, Daryl" Lori smiled at him. He grunted in response and stalked out of the tent, bumping into the blonde sisters, Andrea and Amy on the way out.

"Anything we can do to help, Lori?" asked Amy, poking her head into the tent, Lori nodded.

"Bring me some water for her and some crackers, she hasnt eaten in weeks by the look of it, and Andrea, she's gonna need some clean clothes, fetch her things from Merle?"

"If there's anything of hers left" Andrea sighed, she knew what the Dixon brothers were like. Scavengers. She wouldnt be suprised if Merle had already emptied the poor girl's backpack out. She walked over the where the brothers were skinning what little kill they had made. She felt her stomach turn. "Merle, you got the new girl's stuff?"

"Maybe"

"Merle." she said through gritted teeth. He really knew how to test the patience of people.

"Yeah I got it, but what you gonna give me for it, sugar?" he grinned at Andrea, and she glared at him. Daryl made a disgusted noise and handed Andrea the backpack, and the baseball bat.

"Thank you Daryl" she smiled

"Whatever. She gonna be ok?" he asked, looking towards the tent.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, shes in good hands with Lori" she reassured him.

"Hm" he nodded, before going back to skinning his squirrel. Andrea threw the backpack over her shoulder and walked back over to Lori's tent.

"T-Dog" she called

"Yeah?" responded the tall, muscly black man, standing up from where he was sitting with the other men, Jim and Moralez. She handed him the bloody baseball bat. "new girl's?"

"Yeah, would you mind cleaning it up and putting it with the other weapons? Just cos we dont know her, we need to be safe"

"Sure, you do know Shane will flip when he comes back dont you?"

"I'm sure the Dixon's can handle him, they brought her back after all." shrugged Andrea. "I havent got a problem with one more person"

"It's one more mouth to feed though" said Jim, frowning. Moralez nodded in agreement.

"We're running low on food as it is, and my kids need feeding"

"We all need feeding, that's why Shane and Glenn have gone into Atlanta for food and supplies" said Andrea. "Just...we cant turn our back's on her, she's a human being after all and from what I can gather, she's alone."

"Just see what Shane says, you know how he can be" Dale put a hand on Andrea's shoulder, trying to calm her down a little. She sighed and walked back over to Lori's tent. Lori was outisde washing her hands. Andrea placed the backpack just inside the tent.

"How is she?" she asked

"Still out, but I cleaned up her arm and bandaged it properly. It was pretty bad but she'll be fine, thanks to Daryl and Merle."

"Never thought I'd head you say that" Andrea chuckled slightly and Lori smiled. She looked up as they both heard the sound of an approaching car. "They're back"

"I'm gonna sit with the new girl, just in case she wakes up" said Lori, putting a hand on Andrea's arm "Just tell Shane where I am, okay? And Carl."

"Sure" Andrea nodded, before walking back over to the cars, where everyone had gathered. Shane stepped out of the car, followed by Glenn, the Asian boy. "Anything?" she asked

"Not much, but we managed to get some more food and ammo" Shane said

"Geeks are everywhere though" sighed Glenn, adjusting his hat "Was a close call"

"I'm glad you made it back" smiled Amy, as she and some of the others helped Glenn with the bags from the trunk.

"Where's your mom?" asked Shane, ruffling Carl's hair as him and the small boy made their way to the weapons stash with the ammo. Andrea jogged over to them

"Shes in the tent. The Dixons found a girl in the woods"

"And they brought her back here?" asked Shane, frowing a little "They know the rules"

"She isnt bit, she was unconscious, still is. Lori had to patch her up a little but she'll be fine. They couldnt just leave her out there" Andrea reasoned. Shane sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright, but shes gonna have to earn her place her, we cant just keep taking eveyone in, this isnt the freakin' Salvation Army. Wait out here little man" he said to Carl as he unzipped the tent and stepped inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note : Holy shit you guys thank you all so much for the follows and watches, it's a real honour! I'm glad you like it already! xo**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter Two**

"She aint awake yet?" Daryl mumbled as he watched the other campers start to build a small fire. The night was drawing in and the new girl still hadnt seemed to have awoken yet. All he'd seen all afternoon was Lori and Andrea going in and out of the tent, taking it it turns to watch over her, just in case she woke up and freaked out.

"Dont git your panties in a bunch there sweetheart" Merle snarled sarcastically, wiping squirrel bits off of his hunting knife. "She'll be up soon and then you can git to stickin the wood to her"

"Aint like that" Daryl growled, his face flushing a little as Morales and his wife glanced over, visibly shocked at Merle's 'joke'. His brother chuckled

"Calm it Darylina I'm only messin" Daryl rolled his eyes, going back to tinkering with his bow. He wouldnt admit it, but he was starting to get a little worried about the kid, she was in a pretty bad state when they found her. And the other people around camp with starting to get a little...funny about having a total stranger lying unconscious in Lori's bed.

"We dont even know her name" Jim poked the small fire to encourage it a little "How do we know that she can be trusted?"

"From the looks of it, she's pretty safe" Dale said, always the optimist "Poor girl only had a baseball bat on her, I saw Merle going through her bag. Just had clothes and a journal in it. Not even a bottle of water, she must be seriously dehydrated."

"And starving" whispered Amy, hugging her knees to her chest as a barrier against the gentle evening breeze.

"We all are" said Andrea, rubbing her sisters' shoulders. She turned around and looked over her shoulder as she heard Lori coming out of her tent.

"She's awake" she said.

When Riley awoke, it was dark. And cold. And her head felt like she'd been in a barfight and lost. She groaned and rolled over, and fell.

"What the..."she grumbled, groggy and disorientated. The ground felt...weird. Cold and plasticky. It eventually dawned on her that she was in a tent. She wasn't in a tent a few hours ago. "The fuck?!" gasped, jumping off the ground and standing up. Yep, definately a tent. With two beds in it, one being the one she just managed to fall out of. She felt around in the dark for her bag, and her bat, neither were to be found. Oh shit. Fuck no this wasnt happening. She'd been caught by some damn hillbillies and now she was gonna be dinner. But..if they were gonna eat her...why did they bandage her up? She looked down at her arm in confusion. That fucking branch must have sliced her a lot deeper than she'd thought. She proceeded to unravel the bandage hastily, wanting to get the hell out of her as fast as possible. With her skin still attached to her body, preferably.

"I wouldnt advise doing that" Riley shat her pants at the sound of a woman's voice, she spun around to come face to face with a tall, thin woman with long brown hair. Riley stepped back and tripped over something hard, landing on her ass, looking up at the woman.

"Look, lady, if you're gonna eat me just do it quickly. And as pain free as possible for me...I dont do good with pain" she begged, ashamed of herself for sounding like such a pussy. SHe frowned when the woman chuckled lightly.

"We aren't gonna eat you, honey. Daryl and Merle found you in the woods, you passed out and the cut on your arm needed treating. They brought you back to our camp and me and Andrea have been looking after you."

Who the fuck was she talking about? Who were these weird people that just picked up people in the woods and brought them into their camp? Who would do that? Especially now. "I'm Lori, Lori Grimes, by the way" she said, extending a thin hand towards Riley, offering to help her up. Riley eyed her up and down before taking her hand.

"Riley Addams" she groaned, as Lori pulled her up. "Well, thanks I guess, for the help."

"It's no problem, we've all gotta look out for each other nowadays, right?" Lori smiled and Riley nodded "Would you like to meet everyone else? Theyve all been asking about you"

"Uh, well I was just gonna grab my things and be on my way, dont wanna be any trouble"

"Please" Lori scoffed "We have room for one more, and by the sounds of your accent, you're not from around here" she acknowledged, handing Riley her backpack.

"Woodbridge, New Jersey" Riley gave Lori a half smile, throwing one strap of her bag over her shoulder, hissing at the sharp pain in her arm.

"Careful!" Lori panicked, frowning slightly "You're a long way from home"

Riley shifted uneasily, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah" she mumbled and Lori figured she didnt want to talk about it. "Little bit" The two women emerged from the tent, and Riley felt the eyes of a dozen or so strangers all on her. The small group by the fire all got to their feet, making their way over to her and Lori, but she noticed two men sat by their own fire, just staring, not getting up.

"That's the Dixon brothers, Daryl, the younger one and Merle. They found you and Daryl carried you back." explained Lori. Riley felt her face blush a little as her eyes connected with the younger Dixon, who scowled and quickly turned away, climbing into the blue pick up truck parked next to their tent. Merle, the older man, winked at her. Riley smiled weakly back. Soon enough, after pleasentries had been exchanged and introductions made, she found herself sitting with everyone around the fire, telling them a bit about herself.

"So...what's New Jersey like?" asked Carl, his eyes shining with fascination.

"Uh..to be honest it's a hole" laughed Riley, and the others joined in "But it's home"

"Did that hurt?" piped up a small girl, named Sophia, gesturing to her nose, referring to Riley's piercing, before she was quickly shushed by her father, a mean, ugly man who she was told was named Ed.

"Just you shush now. You aint gonna be gettin' no whore piercin' like that when you're older" he snarled, glaring at Riley, who scoffed.

"Nah it didnt hurt honey, but this one did" she grinned, poking out her tongue showing her silver stud off. "Whorish enough for ya Ed?" she teased, she loved picking fights. Ed growled and yanked Sophia and his wife, Carol, a scared looking woman, who was staring at Riley in shock, into their tent. "Prick"

"So, Riley, that was a pretty cool bat you were carrying, girl. You play?" asked T-Dog, handing over her melee weapon of choice. She nodded.

"Was on the girl's team in high school, Little League and all that stuff, almost had the chance to play professionally. I turned it down though, my dad said it wasn't a realistic career choice" she huffed, staring into the fire "So I chose the glamourous life of retail instead. Helped my dad run his hunting store."

"And of all weapons to grab during the apocalypse, you grab a baseball bat?" asked Andrea in disbelief.

"Well, considering I was in Georgia when all shit broke loose, and I had no idea where to go, I just grabbed it from a WalMart." she shrugged "Besides, guns run out of ammo and they're loud, one swift swing with this baby and those biters dont stand a chance" she winked.

"You any good with a gun then? Working in a hunting store must have had it's benefits" asked Shane, looking her up and down, it was obvious he didnt trust her as much as the others already did.

"We had to know enough about the guns in order to sell them, which included how to use them, so yeah, I'm a good shot. I'll make myself useful if thats what you're hinting at" Riley stared back at him. She didnt take anyone's shit, especially ex-cops with a God complex. Shane huffed and nodded. As the night got colder, many of the campers returned to their tents. Riley stood up from the cold, hard ground and stretched, yawning. Dale put an arm on her shoulder.

"I found a spare tent in my RV, I took the liberty of setting it up for you, it's over there" he said kindly, pointing towards the small tent inbetween Lori and Carl's and the Dixons'.

"Thanks, man" she smiled at him, picking up her stuff and walking over to her new home away from home. She noticed the Dixons' just putting out their fire. She wasnt great at sparking up conversations with strangers, but they did save her life, so, what the hell.

"Well hello there Sleepin' Beauty" jeered Merle, chucking water over their fire "Have a nice nap? You lookin' mighty cosy over there already, thought you was never gonna grace us with your presence"

"Uh, sorry, i got caught and they wouldnt let me go" she smiled weakly and Merle chuckled. Daryl emerged from their tent. "I just thought I'd come over and say thanks, and hi, and I'm Riley" she offered her hand out to Daryl, who just looked at it as if it were diseased.

"Daryl" he growled, she nodded at him stiffly. He was cute, with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen on a guy, but right now, the dickish attitude outweighed the cute.

"And I'm Merle" the older brother leered, as he took her hand and kissed it "If you ever need anythin' sugar, you just come see ol' Merle, he'll sort ya out" he winked at her again "Pretty little thang, do anythin' for ya"

"Thanks?" she said, feeling her face flush as both brothers eyed her up and down. "Well uh, thanks again, g'night"

"G'night honey" called Merle as she climbed into her tent, rolling her eyes. She knew guys like Merle all too well. Only interested in three things : booze, fighting and fucking. Yeah she enjoyed all three of those herself, but she made sure to stay away from guys like that. She smiled as she saw Dale had laid out a sleeping bag and pillow for her. She rummaged around in her backpack for some sort of night wear, eventually finding her shorts and a black cami top. She stripped off and changed, careful not to lift her wounded arm too high. She settled in to her sleeping bag, sighing contently. This sure beats sleeping in a tree, like she had done for the past...God knows how long. Only choice she had, the forest was crawling with those things, and she couldnt be on guard 24/7, girl's gotta have her beauty sleep. She yawned one more time before closing her eyes, eventually falling into a deep sleep, unwillingly dreaming of a certain Dixon and his piercing blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! xo**

**(i know the last chapter was really short, I apologise for that, I wrote it in a rush! This one will be more detailed I promise, we'll find out more about Riley and we'll get more interaction from grumpy Daryl!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter Three**

Riley was awoken the next morning by the sounds of people rustling around the camp site, their voices low in chatter but still enough to rouse her. She yawned, content and happy from the best night's sleep she'd had in forever, sitting up and stretching, carefully with her left arm, mind. She dug around in her backpack and found a pocket mirror. Wow, her hair was a mess and she had pillow creases along her face.

"Fucking gorgeous" she muttered, grabbing her comb and tugging it through her short hair. Sooner or later she was gonna need some sort of wash, but for now, she could just about pass for decent. She tugged on her favourite ripped jeans and heather gray cami, along with a red and grey plaid button up shirt, which she left undone. She wasn't too comfortable with her body, she had always been the 'chubbier' one out of her friends back home, but now, what with being on the run for weeks, her body had toned up and slimmed down a little, whilst still maintaining her trademark hourglass shape. Too fat, she always thought, too much hips and ass. She had good tits though. Especially in this bra. She laced up her Doc's, and tucked her hunting knife that she'd forgotten all about, into her boot, and emerged from her tent, into the bright GA sunlight, something she still wasnt used to. She brought a hand up to her forehead, shading her eyes and squinting slightly. Daryl's truck wasn't there, obviously the brothers were out hunting, Lori had said they got up at unholy hours to try and score some food.

"G'morning" Andrea walked up to Riley, smiling, holding out a cup. _Oh please be coffee_ thought Riley as she took the cup and the sweet, sweet smell engulfed her nostrils.

"Oh my god I love you" she moaned after her first sip of coffee in weeks.

"You're welcome" Andrea chuckled, sipping her own mug. She looked at Riley strangely and Riley shifted awkwardly. "Your hair.."

"I know, it's a mess, thanks for reminding me" she sighed, wishing she'd grabbed some dry shampoo or something from WalMart, and not just that damn bat. Andrea giggled again.

"No, no, it's fine, I didnt notice this last night" she pointed towards the bleach blonde, almost white, streak in Riley's dark brown hair. "It's cool"

"Oh, yeah, just wanted to do something different" Riley smiled "Not very original, very Christina Perri I know, got bored with just all over brown and experimented. My dad hated it, blew his fuckin' lid."

"Hated?" Andrea's face lost her smile and she frowned slightly. Riley cleared her throat, she was hoping this wouldnt come up and mentally kicked herself for letting it slip.

"Yeah, he, uh, got bit. My mom too." Riley avoiding looking at Andrea "I had to put them down" she mumbled, her eyes stinging with tears, unable to rid the image from her head. Her father bent over her screaming mother, ripping her apart like a wild animal, the blood, the smell...

"I'm so sorry" Andrea's whisper broke Riley's little flashback. Riley wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve, sniffing.

"S'okay" she said gruffly, not one for showing emotions easily. Her dad had always said it was a sign of weakness. Even though her mother denied it everytime she asked, Riley always knew her dad had wished for a son, and was dissapointed when Riley popped out. There was none of that 'daddy's little princess' bullshit in the Addams household, hell no. If Riley ever wore makeup her dad would blow his lid, so she'd stuck to wearing it only when she knew he wasnt gonna be around, when he went to those stupid gun conventions, or hunting shows, wherever the hell he used to disappear to on the weekends. Up until she was about 20, guys always took her for a rug muncher, because of the way she dressed. Her dad was strict as hell, and whilst all her friend's were starting to wear stiletto's and skirts, Riley stuck to jeans and tshirts. Suited her fine anyway, during the week she may have been the plain Jane down at _Addam's Hunting Supplies_, but Saturday nights, she ditched the ghastly man-ish uniform and broke out the cut up band tshirts and sexy ripped jeans. Unknown to her father, she was a well known member of the New Jersey punk and rock scene, hopping from bar to bar, gig to gig and, as ashamed as she was to admit, guy to guy. Give her a bottle of Jack, the Misfits blaring from the bar speakers and a packet of cigs, she was good to go.

Andrea watched the girl turn away from her and hide her sadness, feeling sorry for her. She couldnt imagine having to put a gun to the heads of those she loved the most, she glanced over at her younger sister and thanked whatever God that was watching, that they were okay. The women stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes, then the sound of Daryl's truck approaching brought the uncomfortable silence to an end. _Thank God_ thought Riley. She watched as Merle hopped off the back of the pick up truck, squirrels and rabbits in his hands. He winked over at her and she smiled weakly. Hell, he was kinda cute for an older guy.

"Mornin' princess" he called over and she felt her cheeks flush, she hated being called that, she flipped him off in return and he laughed heartily. She watched as Daryl climbed out of the front of his truck, their eyes breifly connecting for a second, her heart started to beat that much faster and she felt herself getting hot. _No _she thought, not again. She had sworn to herself that she would never develop a stupid crush on a stupid guy ever again. If she ended up alone with 50 dogs, so be it, although at this rate it was likely to be alone with 50 walkers, but she would never allow herself to be vulnerable again, not after Him. She shook away her thoughts, brushed them off, and walked over to the redneck brothers, desperate to make conversation with someone other than the women of the camp. Although she liked Lori, admired Jacqui and got along with Carol, Andrea and Amy, she wasnt the kind of gal to have too many 'girlfriends'. She always got along better with guys, and as she noticed Daryl sitting on a rock, cleaning up his bow, she saw it as a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation.

"The Horton Scout 125..that's a pretty good bow" she smiled, standing over him, hands on her hips. Daryl's eyes skimmed her over, she had the most gorgeous body he'd ever seen on a woman, curvy and still toned, not like the other women around here, all bones. Worryin' too much about what they eat even in the damn Apocalypse.

"S'alrigh'" he grumbled, trying not to stare for too long. She bent down beside him, and her perfume invaded his nostrils, he'll remember that smell for as long as he lived, it was intoxicating, citrus-y and fresh, not too overpowering. He felt his body shiver a little. "You know how ta use one?"

"Duh" she gave him a sarcastic smile "I had one back home, Dad always thought I should be able to protect myself when he wasnt around, he went away a lot and where we lived, it was kinda...dangerous I guess. May i?" she asked, holding out her hands. Daryl handed the bow over and she stood up, bringing the bow up to eye level and looking down the aim. "Oh my god, hello beautiful" she laughed, it felt good to be holding one again, kind of reminded her of back home. "It's in amazing condition, you really know how to look after it"

"Yeah well when ya've used one fer as long as I have, you learn" Daryl stood up next to her, taking the bow out of her hands, not wanting anyone else to hold his baby for too long.

"We should have a competetion, see who's the best shot" she winked at him, he huffed, smiling a little.

"Alrigh', but dont wanna make ya cry when I beat your ass" he said, smiling. Wait, _what?!_ Daryl Dixon SMILING at a woman?! Merle looked over in disbelief at his younger brother, shaking his head before going back to skinning the kills they'd made. Damn bitch had got him pussywhipped already and they aint even known each other a day. Stupid boy.

"Oh dont worry, you wont" she smiled, before heading over to Merle. "Want some help?"

"Damn gerl, thought you'd forgotten about ol' Merle over here" he growled, but passing her a spare knife all the same. She shook her head and whipped her knife out of her boot.

"I came prepared" she smiled. Damn, that was hot, thought Daryl, smirking a little. Even Merle, who knew, or claimed to know, women like the back of his hand was suprised at this girl. She wasn't even from the mountains, she was practically from the _city _for God's sake, and her she was just pullin' a god damn hunting knife outta her boot like it was no big deal. Merle chuckled.

"Ah like you" he said, leering at her "Beautiful and could probably slit my throat without me even noticin'...ah like that in a gerl" he winked

"In yer dreams, ol' man" she retorted in a hillbilly accent, but smiling at the same time. Daryl watched his older brother flirt with Riley, and his gut clenched as she did it back. Fuckin' Merle. Always gittin' in the way. First with Marlene and now with Riley.

"The fuck?!" he thought to himself as he turned away and stalked into the tent "Ya dont even know her. She ain't even interested, and ya acting like she's yer wife or some shit. Grow a pair" he mentally scalded himself. He exhaled gruffly at the sound of her and Merle laughing outside, stripping off his shirt and changing into something that wasnt covered in animal guts and blood, though it wouldnt help his chances with her anyway, Merle couldnt be more obvious about marking his territory there than if he was pissin' all over her.

Riley spent most of the afternoon with the Dixons, getting to know them a little better, since no-body else around camp seemed to bother. They kept their distance, which seemed to suit the guys just fine. It was the Dixons vs the world as far as they were concerned.

"So, what did you guys do before the world apparently ended?" asked Riley, cleaning off her knife and throwing the last bit of rabbit skin away.

"Was in construction togethere weren't we Darylina?" asked Merle, giving his brother a playful shove. Daryl scowled and nodded.

"Roofin' mostly, had our own business" he mumbled, trying his best to avoid staring at Riley's cleavage, glistening with a light layer of sweat underneath the midday sun. "Never outta werk"

"I can just imagine you two, on top of a big ol' Georgia mansion, shirtless, wolf whistling at every big titted blonde in a short skirt that waddled by" Riley laughed, Merle joined in a little

"You got that righ' darlin', well maybe not Darylina here so much" Merle siddled on closer to Riley, his eyes obviously drawn to her chest "You'da got yerself a whistle too sweethear', maybe even a little more" he whispered, his hand subtly snaking round her back to feel her ass.

"Ooookay!" she said, practically yelled, suddenly standing up, making both Daryl and Merle jump a little "I'ma go over here where the other guys arent so pent up" she said, her heart hammering in her chest. Although she kinda wished Daryl was the one doing that to her, any touch from any man just made her feel sick. Merle kind of reminded her of Him. Riley made her way over to where Lori and Carol were sat with their kids on a picnic bench, Carl and Sophia were heads down in what seemed to be...school work? She raised her eyebrows as she sat next to Carol.

"Gotta keep em preoccupied" Lori said, glancing down proudly at Carl. Riley laughed to herself. The world's run over with flesh eating corpses, woman, at least let them off the math problems for a little while, she thought, but she kept her mouth shut. Riley put her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand, her eyes almost slipping shut under the unforgiving heat. Carol's gentle voice shook her out of it.

"How's your arm feeling?" she asked softly, her eyes full of worry for the girl she hadnt even known for 24 hours.

"pretty good actually, thanks, nothing I cant cope with" she smiled at the older woman, reassuring her. The kids finished their work and went off to play for a while, and the women sat at the bench still, making small talk. Lori reached over to touch Riley's arm, and she instinctively jerked away.

"Sweetie, I noticed yesterday that your arm...the cut...it was there before wasnt it?" she asked quietly "You'd hurt yourself before yesterday?"

"No" said Riley sharply, and Carol could see her body tense up. "No, cut myself on a branch running away from walkers, never hurt myself there before."

"Are...are you sure? it looked like an old wound" Lori frowned, she knew Riley was lying.

"Of course I'm sure, it's my fucking arm. Mind your own damn business!" Riley snapped, her eyes growing dark as she glared at Lori, before storming off. She stormed past the rest of the campers, who eyed her suspiciously but thought it best to leave her be.

"Hey, where ya goin' baby?" hollered Merle as she stamped past their tent. Something snapped in her then at the sound of his voice, the use of that word...the way he said it...like He used to. She whirled around and ran at him, shoving him against the nearby tree trunk, her arm digging into his throat.

"I am NOT your baby!" she snarled at him, pushing her arm harder against his throat.

"Ya crazy bitch!" he choked out, still smiling. She spat in his face and let him go.

"Pig" she growled, before stalking off into the woods. The other campers all looked on in shock as Merle rubbed his throat.

"Alrigh' aint nothin' to see!" yelled Daryl at them, as they turned around and started whispering amongst themselves. He hated to admit it, but he admired that girl, whoever the fuck she was, for finally putting Merle in his place. Merle stomped into the tent, mumbling about "tha' crazy fuckin' bitch" obviously embarassed. Daryl smirked a little, he really liked this girl already.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! xo**

**And just so you know, in THIS world, the band Halestorm dont exist (if you dont know who im talking about YouTube them cos they are amazing and Im jealous of Mz hale's songwriting and singing skills, just pretend Riley sounds exactly like her mmmkay?)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 4**

Riley stalked through the woods, her vision blurred with anger, NOT tears. They really WEREN'T tears. Tears were a sign of weakness. She wiped at her eyes again. How dare that fuckin' bitch poke her nose in? What the fuck? Who did she think she was?! Riley handt even know her for more than a dad, and there she was, acting like her fucking mom! Riley let out a frusrated growl and kicked the nearest tree trunk.

"Motherfucker" she hissed, instantly regretting that decision. She clutched her foot, leaning against the tree. She leant her head back, exhaling as she put her foot down. Then decaying, cold hands grabbed her by the shoulders out of nowhere. She jerked away, and spun around, straight into four walkers. She bent down sharply to pull her knife out of her boot, then she realised she'd left it with the Dixons. "Shit" she said through gritted teeth, and ducked as one walker, a man with his stomach slashed open and guts spilling out, swiped at her, his teeth snapping verociously. She winced at she shoved him hard, backwards, retching at the sound of her hands squishing with guts and blood as she impaled him on a sharp branch, obviously it wasnt enough to put him down, but he couldnt escape, and it was one less threat. She turned around, searching desperately for some sort of weapon as the other three walkers swooped down on her. Her eye caught a decent sized rock and she grabbed it, swinging it hard, up, towards a walker's face, it fell backwards, writhing on the ground, it's jaw hanging off as it growled and screeched. She kicked out, sending the other two walkers flying backwards, giving her just enough time to smash the jaw-less walker's head in with the rock. She grunted as she brought the rock down, hard, again and again, brains flying everywhere. She felt the walker's body still and she knew the last blow was enough. She dropped the rock, picking up a stick, climbing off the dead walker and ramming it through the other's eye socket, pinning it to a tree. She stood there panting for a second, trying to catch her breath, when the last one tackled her to the ground. She screamed a little, it was more like a girly grunt, wrestling with the walker who had her pinned to the forest floor, its face inches from her. She retched at the smell of its rancid breath as it snapped, desperate to taste her flesh. Her arms were getting weaker, and she felt the skin rip on her wound again, fresh blood seeping out from the bandage, driving the walker insane. This was it, she was done for. She closed her eyes, still struggling with the walker, when she heard a squish and a crunch, and felt the walker still. She opened her eyes, and gasped at the sight of an arrow head sticking out of the walker's eye. She shoved it off of her quickly, gasping for breath.

"Ya dont take good care of yerself do ya?" Daryl drawled, walking closer towards her, lowering his bow, and taking in the sight before him. She was dirty, again, with leaves and mud in her hair, over her face, her hands and arms covered in blood, as well as her shirt. She just laid on the ground, staring up at him, as if in shock. He offered her his hand, despite the guts, and pulled her up.

"I take care of myself just fine" she mumbled, not looking at him. He scoffed.

"Obviously, just dancin' with those walkers were ya?"

"Shut up" she growled, going to wipe her hands on her jeans, but thinking better of it. "But thanks"

"Hm. Ya fergot this" he said, dangling her knife in front of her

"Aw gee, wondering what I forgot" she said sarcastically, glaring at him, swiping her hand out to snatch it from him, but she was too slow, he pulled it out of her reach.

"Ah ah, I think ya got some explainin' to do" he smirked.

"About what?" she spat, grabbing his arm, his extremly muscular, yummy arm, _shut up Riley_, she thought, and swiped the knife from him, tucking it safely back in her boot. He noticed how her body tensed up and the venom in her voice. She knew about what alright. She glanced up at him and he caught a flash of hurt in her eyes, but she blinked and it was gone. Now she just looked...scared?

"Don' matter" he said "Come on, let's git yer back to camp, ya need to wash that shit off ya, think ya can make it back wi'out hurting yerself?"

"Ha ha" she said sarcastically as they started to walk slowly back.

"Oh shit, yer bleedin'" he hissed, noticing the fresh blood on her arm, seeping through the shirt she was wearing. He brought her closer to him, rolling up her shirt sleeve to inspect it, again, she tensed up. He was gentle, a slight furrow of his brow as he looked at her arm. "I'll see to it when we git back to camp" he mumbled

"It's okay, I'll be fine" she whispered, yanking her arm away from him. His touch gave her goosebumps, although she tried her best to pretend it didnt. He grunted in frustration.

"Good Lord woman what's the matter with ya?" he raised his voice a little and she shrunk away from him, walking on ahead. He sighed. "Dick" he whispered to himself, he jogged to keep up with her. "Yer really aint gonna let me have a look?"

"If I say yes will you quit bugging me?" she sighed as they entered camp, everyones eyes on her, yet again. She avoided everyones gaze, ashamed of her flip out earlier. Daryl smirked and she followed him over to where Merle was sat, sulking. He narrowed his eyes at her as she walked over. "Merle.."

"Save it ya crazy fucking bitch" he spat, then he stopped as he saw what a state she was "Wha'happened to ya?!"

"Ambushed by walkers" she mumbled, ashamed to admit shed been caught off guard. "I'd have been dinner if it wasnt for Daryl"

"he saved ya? again?! Ya really are a saint, aintcha little brother" Merle snarled, pissed that his brother went off after the crazy cunt that tried to choke him earlier. But still, it was obvious that there was more to this Jersey girl than she'd been letting on, so he decided to let it go. He watched as his brother re-dressed the vicious wound on Riley's arm. He'd never seen his brother act like this around another woman before, hell, he'd been thinkin' for years that Daryl was one of them queers, secretly. Yeah sure, he'd fucked them girls back home, but he never seemed to be bothered whether he got it in or not, not like Merle. Merle was out lookin' for pussy 24/7. Riley couldnt help but look at Daryl as he took care of her, a few times his eyes darted up and met hers and she felt herself blushing, looking away.

"I'm sorry for earlier, Merle" she said quietly, as she stood up when Daryl had finishing cleaning and dressing her arm. "I uh..."

"Aint nothin' to worry about darlin', we're good" he shrugged "Happens again though, yer gunna wish ya did the job properly" he winked, but Riley wasnt convinced he was joking.

"Ya need to go clean up, yer filthy" said Daryl "I'll show yer where they all wash"

"Thanks" she smiled weakly. Daryl waited outside her tent as she gathered some clean clothes and he walked her to the small river just behind the trees that hid the camp from unwelcome eyes.

"Down there" he said gruffly, pointing to the water, he turned to leave her and she grabbed his hand.

"Will you...keep watch? Dont wanna be caught unawares again" she flushed red.

"Aintcha worried about me seein ya?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head.

"You dont seem like that sorta guy"

"I aint" he reassured her. he wasnt even sure why he felt the need to reassure her and immediately felt stupid for it. She smiled at hime before letting go of his hand and walking towards the water. He quickly turned his back as she stripped off the cami top and slid off her jeans. She was stood in her black boy shorts and bra, sneaking a quick glance to make sure he wasnt watching, before heading into the water. She squealed a little at the cold as she waded in, but it soon became a blessing, as she was sweating her ass off. Daryl's head turned immediately at the sound of her squeal, thinking she was in danger, aiming down the sight of his crossbow towards the water. his heart hammered in his chest as he caught a glimpse of her, waist deep in the water. She splashed water over her upper body and it was the hottest thing he'd ever seen in his life. She had a large tattoo up her ribcage, words to something, he couldnt quite make it out, and her black lace bra covered the very top of the tattoo. She had another on her shoulder, some sort of colorful one. He felt his jeans get a little tighter as his eyes wandered her body a little longer, she was fucking beautiful, even in the harsh GA sunlight, she was flawless. He then realised what a fucking creep he was being by staring at this woman as she bathed, and quickly turned around, trying to think about something else, something less erotic than the nearly naked woman bathing herself less than 30 ft away from him. He got lost in his thoughts and nearly shit his pants when he felt a cold hand on his arm. he turned his head to see Riley smiling. Her hair was wet but she was fully dressed, in another one of those god damn tank tops, this time it was a deep red one, a long one, and black leggings, of course with her boots.

"All done" she smiled, a lot happier now she was clean. "Thanks for watching out" she patted his arm before walking ahead back to camp. He couldnt keep his eyes off of her ass in those leggings. Damn women. Even in the apocalypse when shit needs to be done, they still manage to turn a man's mind to jelly. Riley dumped her filthy clothes in a corner of her tent and as she came out she nearly bumped into Lori. "Lori! I um..I just wanted to apologize for earlier...I shouldnt have snapped at you like that.." Riley trailed off, she wasnt _that_ good at admitting she was wrong. In all honestly she had prepared for Lori to rip her a new one, but the older woman's eyes softened. It obviously took a lot for this young girl to swallow her pride.

"It's okay, Riley, I'm sure you had a good reason to, after you barely know me, and I you, I just like to make sure everyone is okay, we've all been through enough." she said kindly, putting her hand on Riley's arm reassuringly. They smiled at each other, before Amy and Andrea came over, saying something about how they were planning a big supply run in the morning. Riley was relieved that the rest of the group hadnt shunned her because of her outburst this morning, but she still felt Shane's eyes on her, watching every move she made. She ignored it, for now, and helped with the planning, as much as she could, anyway, after all, she didnt know this state at all and wasnt much use. Unless it came to taking down walkers, and even then she obviously wasnt much use without a knife or gun.

"You seemed to have made an impression on the Dixons" Jacqui said, as she sat down next to Riley, with a steaming cup of cocoa. The night drew in before any of them were really aware, theyd all been so into the plans for the next day. She handed the young girl the cup, noticing she was shivering.

"Huh?" Riley's teeth chattered as she held the cup close to her.

"Today, I've never seen them communicate with anyone else for so long without growling or getting violent" Jacqui glanced over to the two brothers, huddled around their small fire, talking to each other. Riley shrugged.

"I just get on better with guys I guess, if everyone else bothered to make an effort theyd probably be the same towards them" she mumbled, and Jacqui nodded, agreeing with her. The rest of the night, after the kids had gone to bed, the adults sat around the camp fire, reminiscing about what they missed most from home.

"My flat irons" pouted Amy, tugging at her hair "I hate being this frizzy" she laughed as everyone joined in. Dale missed his dog, his most faithful companion after his wife had passed, T-Dogg said his music collection. Andrea missed her wardrobe as did Jacqui. Jim missed his liquor cabinet and Morales missed his TV on a Sunday to watch the football. Carol and Ed werent with the group tonight, and Shane wasnt joining in the conversation.

"I miss pizza" sighed Glenn, taking off his cap and running a hand through his hair.

"What, cos you couldnt get enough being a delivery boy?" asked Riley, laughing. Her and Glenn hadnt spoken much, but he grinned back at her.

"never!" he laughed, "What about you Riley?"

"Hmm.." she had to think "I have a few...Oreos" she smiled as everyone laughed "My second thing would be toasted bagels and cream cheese...better than sex" everyone laughed harder "And last...I guess I really miss my guitar"

"You play?" asked T-Dogg, Riley nodded.

"Yeah, I was in a band back home. When I wasnt out at the punk bars on the weekend we were playing every shitty little hole bar in NJ. It was me and some guys from school, we had such a good time" she smiled, remembering the rush she got everytime she got on stage, even if it was just at Rug's and Riffy's on a Friday night.

"You were the singer?" asked Jacqui and Riley nodded again.

"Sing us something!" Amy begged and Riley flushed.

"I uh..I get stage fright, but..I've got our demo on my ipod if anyone has a speaker?"

"I do!" said Glenn, rushing to the RV to grab his wireless speaker. He dashed back out, placing the speakers in front of Riley, watching her like an eager puppy. She smiled a little, plugging in her iPod and playing the first song she wrote about Him, 'Better Sorry Than Safe'. She sat back and tapped her foot along with Jon's drumming. As she listened to the song, her mind drifted back to the guys. Jon, her crazy ass best friend, Dan their bassist, total sweetheart, and Mike the other guitarist, who had a crazy crush on Riley, but she'd made it clear they were nothing more than friends. She inhaled deeply and kept her eyes on the floor. As the song finished, Glenn looked at her with wide eyes.

"Thats not you! Thats fucking incredible!" he gushed and she blushed heavily, she wasnt good with compliments.

"Thanks...but it is me" she mumbled, smiling a little.

"Not exactly my type of music but you gotta voice on ya" smiled Dale kindly.

"You'll have to give us a show one night" smiled Andrea, Riley scoffed.

"I'll make ya a deal, you find me the biggest bottle of Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort there is going, and I'll play our whole fuckin' EP for ya" laughed Riley as she held up her pinky to Andrea. The blonde chuckled and linked her pinky with Riley's.

"Deal!" she grinned and Riley poked her tongue out. "Well, I'll be looking on the supply run tomorrow, so you better find a guitar and tune up"

"There's one in the RV!" babbled Glenn as Riley opened her mouth to say that she didnt have one. _Fucking Glenn_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! Special thanks tomomoXvolturi and loveorpain for their reviews, makes me feel all fuzzy! xo**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams, and any other characters you dont recognize ;)**

**Chapter Five:**

Riley awoke in the early hours, the sunlight just starting to creep up over the trees. She yawned and stretched, and knew she wouldnt be able to go back to sleep, and good GOD she had never needed to pee so badly in her entire life. She unzipped her sleeping bag and stepped out of her tent. She crept through the camp, listening to the variety of snores coming from the tents. She kept her eyes on her bare feet, not wanting to step on anything sharp. She kept her eyes down a tad too long and didnt notice Daryl heading towards her. They collided head first, she let out a squeak as he grunted in pain.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered, holding out her hands "I'm so sorry!"

"Damn woman" he growled, looking at her. She was in a black cami top and SHORT white and black striped shorts, revealing yet another tattoo on the side of her left thigh, a large one. She visibly shivered in the morning air, and Daryl could swear he could see her nipples through the top, he shifted uncomfortably. "Whaddya doin' up so early?" he mumbled.

"Need to uh...pee" she whispered, blushing a little. "What about you?"

"Gettin' ready to go huntin'" he sniffed, gesturing to his bow on his back.

"On your own?"

"Merle's goin' on tha supply run" Daryl drawled "He's still sleepin'"

"Oh.." she trailed off as he started to walk away "Daryl?" she called quietly after him, he turned around to glare back.

"Wha?"

"Mind if I come along? I'm a decent hunter, Dad used to take me sometimes" she shifted her weight to the other leg, doing the 'I need to go and I need to go NOW' dance "Extra hand couldnt hurt right?"

He stared at her for a minute, watching her dance from one leg to the other. He smirked, thinking this girl probably couldnt hit the broad side of a barn, could be entertainin' for him.

"Sure. Be ready in five minutes, I ain't waitin'" he said before skulking back to his tent. She smiled, running back to do her business. She sprinted back to her tent, throwing on her oldest, comfiest jeans, with large rips in the knees and her white tank, with her plaid shirt over the top. She laced up her boots tightly, tucking her knife back in its usual place. She met Daryl by his tent as promised. "Eight minutes" he sighed

"I'm a woman, what did you expect?" she grinned. She noticed him looking at her strangely. "What?"

"You got a bow?"

"I got a knife" she said, gesturing to her boot. Daryl sighed, rolling his eyes. "What?" she asked again, a little more shrill this time.

"Come huntin' and you aint even got a bow? Thought you was a decent hunter?" he spat

"I'm sorry, if you dont want my help then I'll go the fuck back to bed" she snapped, then felt bad as he frowned at her. "Sorry..I left my bow at home.."

"S'alrigh', just be a extra pair o' eyes fer me" he said, and she nodded, as they started to walk into the forest. Even though it was early, Riley could feel herself starting to sweat a little. She blew her fringe out of her eyes and peeled off her shirt, tying it around her waist. She followed Daryl through the forest, getting deeper and further away from camp. Daryl suddenly through his arm out and she stopped dead. He crouched down behind some bushes and gestured for her to come down beside him. "Over there" he whispered, she followed his eye line to the deer stood in the clearing. He loaded up his bow, as Riley kept an eye on the deer. Then it bolted.

"Fuck" she whispered as Daryl growled in frustration, lowering his bow. Two walkers shuffled into the clearing, obviously the deer had heard them. Riley swallowed hard, one of the walkers was, or used to be a little boy, couldnt have been older than six. His skin was waxy, clinging to his skull, making him look gaunt. His throat had been ripped out. The other walker must have been his mother, in a sundress and sandals, with hideous gaping holes in her arms and legs. Daryl and Riley stood up, walking towards them slowly. She drew her knife from her boot, gripping it tightly. The little boy turned his head and growled loudly, shuffling towards her. Her heart hammered in her chest as she raced forward, pinning the walker to the ground and driving the knife into his eye socket. She twisted it and the creature stilled. She hopped up and turned to Daryl, who was about ready to fire an arrow into the female walker's head. "Save your arrows" she grunted and grabbed the other walker, pinning it against a tree and doing the same. She pulled the knife out with a sickening squish and the walker dropped to the floor. Riley wiped her knife clean and smiled up at Daryl. "See? I can handle myself fine"

"When you got a knife in your hand" he smirked, slinging his bow over his shoulder again.

"That was just a...glitch" she waved her hand in the air "I'm tough" she flexed her arms and Daryl couldnt help but laugh a little.

"Whatever, Jersey Shore" he chuckled gruffly. He'd seen that stupid show once or twice, with the girls that were orange and slutty, and the dudes that spent took much time in the gym. He knew she was nothing like that, but it was worth calling her that just to see the look she gave him. She dropped her 'guns' and scowled, before punching him on the arm. "Ah! Christ woman, what's the matta with ya?" he rubbed his arm a little. For a girl, she had a pretty solid right hook, he made a mental note to never call her that again. She gave him a shit eating grin.

"Deer went that way" she pointed in the direction, before walking ahead of him. Daryl sighed, stomping after her. This hunt may kill him.

They'd been walking for what felt like hours, it had to be at least four in the afternoon by now, and still no sign of that damn deer. Riley blew her fringe out of her face yet again, and used her shirt to mop up the sweat on her forehead. She leant against a tree, panting slightly. Daryl liked the move quickly, and while she was in pretty good shape, and used to hunting with her dad, she wasnt used to the heat. And Daryl was a lot quicker than her old man. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Y'alrigh' there Jersey?" he chuckled. She was bending over, hands on her knees. She didnt even look up as she flipped the bird at him.

"My name...is Riley" she panted and straightened up "And I'm fine, hick"

"I know ya damn name" he ignored her name for him "C'mon then, break's ova"

She groaned as he started to jog off, and pushed herself to keep up with him. He bent down, studying the ground closely.

"We're gittin' close" he snuck off a bit in front of her. Riley bent down to study the ground to, but all she could see was...dirt. She wasn't near half as good a tracker as Daryl, her dad has always taken care of that, she was just a good shot. She looked up, and Daryl was nowhere to be seen.

"Daryl?" she whispered, looking frantically around, immediatly starting to panic. "Daryl!" she called a little louder. Great. She was lost. Again. She ran in the direction she last saw Daryl heading. "Daryl!" she shouted, the panic evident in her voice.

"God dammit!" she heard a very angry sounding Daryl. "I had it!" he emerged from the bushes, his face screwed up in frustration. "What's tha matta wi' ya?! Thought you was good at huntin'?"

"I-I-" she stammered, unable to get the words out. _I was scared_.

"Jus' leave me be! I do better on my own anyways!" he spat, before storming off into the bushes. She sighed, and kicked the ground in anger. She'd made herself look like a stupid, little girl. Again. She made her way slowly back through the woods, her pride hurt. And she'd pissed off a highly dangerous (and attractive) redneck with a crossbow and a short temper. This day couldnt get any worse, she thought.

Riley made it back to camp just as night fell.

"Riley!" Amy practically bowled her over. "Where have you been?! We thought you'd left!"

"Nah, I uh, was on a hunt" Riley said as the blonde let her go.

"On your own?!" Amy's eyes looked as if they were gonna bulge out of her skull

"Nah, with Daryl, only it didnt go so well, I fucked up and he got pissy, carried on on his own. Is he not back yet?" Riley's eyes wandered over to where the Dixon's tent was. Amy bit her lip and shook her head, and Riley felt her stomach drop a little. "I'll get Merle to go after him" Riley started to walk over to the tent and Amy grabbed her arm.

"About Merle..." she mumbled

"What?" asked Riley, immediatly knowing something was up. That was when she noticed the new guy, sitting around the fire, his arm around Lori and Carl. "What's going on? Where's Merle?"

"Rick, the new guy...he's a police officer, Shane's partner and Lori's husband...they found him in Atlanta on the supply run today" Amy looked at her feet, shuffling them.

"Amy..." Riley was getting impatient.

"There was some sort of...disagreement and...Merle got chained to the roof of the department store...and they left him"

"WHAT?!" Riley yelled, causing everyone to turn around and stare. She marched over to the camp fire, glaring at Glenn, Andrea, T-Dog, Jacqui, Morales and this _Rick_. "You LEFT Merle chained to a roof top?! The fuck's the matter with you all?!"

Lori gasped and covered her son's ears, frowning at Riley.

"Miss.." the new guy got up off his ass, holding his hands out.

"Riley" she spat, staring at him.

"Riley," he repeated "it was my fault, I chained him to the roof because he was a danger to the rest of us"

"A danger? Do you even know him, _Officer?_" she sneered

"Riley, he beat Morales and me and threatened to shoot Rick" T-Dog said gently, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "We did it to calm him down and I...I dropped the key."

Riley said nothing, just raised her eyebrows and looked at him in disbelief. "Geeks were everywhere...I went back to help him and I tripped...I dropped the key...I had no choice but to go.." Riley's glare softened at the look of guilt and pain in the man's eyes. "I padlocked the door so they couldnt get to him"

"And Daryl doesn't know?" she whispered, her stomach clenching at the thought of the older Dixon struggling to escape. Everybody shook their heads. "Well, no, how could he..." she mumbled, feeling stupid. "He's gonna flip his lid"

"And I'll be the one to tell him" said Rick, gently. "I'm sorry, Riley"

She sighed heavily.

"No, you did what was best, I guess, but Daryl isnt gonna see it that way" she sighed again, before turning on her heel and heading towards her tent, stopping briefly to look over to the Dixon's tent, feeling her gut clench again. Although he was an asshole, she kind of missed Merle's filthy comments and wheezy laugh. And she missed Daryl's stare.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome!**

**And yes, I sat and watched the episode and pretty much used word for word when Daryl first appears back at camp, I have no life! xo**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 6**

"Water's here, y'all, just a reminder to boil before use!" hollered Shane, parking his truck up. Riley grabbed her empty water bottle before rushing over. Then the screams came.

"MOM!"

"MOMMY!"

"Carl!" shrieked Lori and Rick, racing to the source of the screams. Without thinking, Riley dropped her bottle, grabbed her baseball bat and raced with them, Carol screaming behind her.

"Sophia!" she sobbed as her daughter ran to her, and Jacqui raced with Carl to Lori.

"I've got him, I've got him" she reassured the woman, and Lori nodded, gratefully, holding her son close.

Carl was pointing to where they had been playing, Rick, Shane, Jim, Dale, Morales and Glenn sprinted over, closely followed by Riley, guns and weapons at the ready. They came across a deer on the ground. And a walker knelt by it, chewing at the animal's insides. The walker turned around and got up, blood dripping from it's putrid mouth, growling at them all, before they all started beating on it, Andrea and Amy recoiling behind them. Riley took the last swing with her bat to the walker's head, before Dale decapitated it with his axe. They all stood around, panting.

"It's the first one we've had up here" panted Dale, staring the the headless walker. "They never come this far up the mountain"

"Well, me and Daryl have run into a few, maybe four?" admitted Riley "Not too many, and never this close to camp"

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, thats what" said Jim, and they all looked at it disbelievingly. Then they all turned and faced the woods as branches snapped and leaves rustled. Andrea shoved Amy behind her as they both looked panicked. Shane raised his shotgun in the direction of the noise.

"Oh Jesus" he scoffed as Daryl emerged from the trees, squirrels slung over his back. Riley sighed in relief as she lowered her bat.

"Son of a bitch..." he drawled, making his way over to the deer "That's ma deer! Look at it, all gnawed on by this filthy, disease bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" he grunted as he kicked the walker's body with every word.

"Calm down son, that's not helping" said Dale, and backed off a little as Daryl approached him.

"Whaddya you know about it ol' man? Why dont ya take tha' stupid hate and go back to On Golden Pond?" he snarled

"Daryl..." Riley said gently, he sighed.

"Ah bin trackin' this deer for miles" he glared at her "Afta your city gerl ass scared it off! Was gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison...whaddya think, think we can cut around this chewed up part righ' here?"

"I would not risk that" mumbled Shane, his gun across his shoulders. Daryl sighed again.

"That's a damn shame. Well, I got some squirrel, about a dozen or so. That'll have ta do" he looked around at everyone. The silence was broken by the head of the decapitated walker growling and chomping it's teeth.

"Oh God" Amy and Andrea looked on in disgust before hurrying back to camp. Daryl scowled.

"Come on, people, what the hell?" he said, before shooting an arrow into its eye. He walked over and put his boot on the head, and pulled the arrow out with a squish.

"Gotta be the brain" Riley mumbled, feeling slightly sick.

"Dont y'all know nothin'?" Daryl smirked and walked past them all, heading back to camp. Riley caught up with him.

"Daryl, I'm sorry" she muttered, he shrugged.

"Ya shud be, scarin off dinner like tha'" he drawled "Still, s'not like you ate it too"

Riley smiled a little as he walked ahead of her, then her smile faded when she remembered what the rest of the campers still had to tell him. She could hear Daryl yelling for his brother as he set his crossbow down. Shane approached Daryl, and Riley inhaled, bracing herself for what was coming.

"There was a, uh..a problem in Atlanta" said Shane, not looking at Daryl as the rest of the campers watched the two of them. Daryl looked around.

"He dead?" he asked, Shane waited a few moments, picking his words carefully.

"We're not sure"

"He either is or he aint!" shouted Daryl, circling Shane. Riley watched as Rick stepped up and explained what had happened.

"Hang on, lemme process this...you're sayin you handcuffed my brother to a roof...and you LEFT HIM THERE?!" Riley stood beside Rick, watching Daryl carefully.

"Yeah" sighed Rick. Riley and Rick both ducked as Daryl's face twisted in anger and he threw the squrriels from around his neck and went for Rick. Shane grabbed him and pushed him onto the ground and Riley and T-Dog rushed forward to help with the struggle. Riley saw Daryl reach for something.

"Watch the knife!" she called and darted forward to grab Daryl but she was too slow, he swung at Rick with the knife, missing, and Rick and Shane grabbed his by his arms, Rick disarming him as Shane put him into a choke hold.

"Let him go!" Riley grabbed Shane around his waist, trying her best to pull him off Daryl. Shane shoved her roughly back, and Dale caught her before she hit the ground.

"I think it best if I dont" Shane grunted, tightening his grip around Daryl's throat and bringing him lower to the ground. Rick knelt in front of Daryl and Shane, talking to him quietly yet firmly. Riley saw Rick nod at Shane, who threw Daryl to the ground. Dale let Riley go as she rushed over and knelt beside Daryl, staring up at Shane.

"Asshole" she spat and Shane just glared. T-Dog then stepped forward and admitted that he dropped the key. Daryl pushed Riley off of him and stood up, he wiped at his eyes, not wanting the rest of the camp to see tears. Eventually the decision was made that Daryl, Rick, Glenn and T-Dog would go back to rescue Merle. As Rick talked to Dale about his tools that got left behind, Daryl paced in the back of the van they'd brought back yesterday. Riley climbed into the van, pulling herself up.

"Daryl.."

"You aint comin' with us" he spat, glaring at her, still pacing. "You aint even got a gun"

"I know, I know" she hushed him "I just wanted to tell you to...be careful" she mumbled, and he stopped pacing, frowning at her.

"The hell you talkin' bout, Jersey? I'm always careful" he stated. She smiled, starting to like her new nickname from him. She sighed, walking to him and hugging him. His body tensed up, his arms by his side as the 5''4 Jersey girl clung to him. He caught that scent again, this time from her hair, the citrus scent that set his senses on fire. Riley sighed a little, his body was warm, and firm, and smelt...like a man should. Of sweat, and dirt and a hint of cologne. He almost rested his head on hers, before seeing sense and pushing her away, but it was gentle. "Get offa me, crazy woman" he huffed, but still smiled a little at her, hell he didnt know how to respond to that. The last woman to hug him was his mama when he was about three. Daddy Dixon didnt do no huggin', and he, Daryl, certainly wasn't gonna hug any of them skanks he'd pick up in a bar. The fuck was wrong with this girl?

"Hick" she retorted, but smiling as she said it, jumping out of the van. She squeezed Glenn's shoulder as he walked by. The two had become good friends and he reminded her of her boys back home. "Be careful, G"

"You know me, Super Glenn" he chuckled a little, giving her a smile before readjusting his hat. "Later, Ri"

She nodded and smiled, jumping a little as Daryl kicked the horn impatiently.

"Less go!" he yelled, Riley turned around and stood facing the van, her arms folded under her breasts, squinting in the sunlight, catching Daryl's eyes as he pulled the back panel to the van shut. She couldnt help but feel that familiar pang of worry as the van drove off.

"They'll come back" Jacqui reassured Riley gently "They're all smart enough, strong enough"

"Yeah I guess" sighed Riley, turning to face the older woman. She gave her a small smile.

"Good. Now I know it's very country of us, but we're all going down to the stream to do laundry, might take your mind off of things?" Jacqui laughed a little at the look on Riley's face "I'll teach you, go grab your dirty clothes and we'll go"

Riley spent the afternoon with the women of the camp, except Lori and Miranda, Morales' wife, who were looking after the children, down by the stream, learning how to use a washboard. Shane was trying to teach Carl how to catch frogs over on the other side of the stream, and failing miserably. The women were chatting amongst themselves quietly, whilst Carol's husband Ed, looked on from the back of his car, sitting on his ass and smoking. Riley shivered, that cold stare of his was all too familiar.

_She wimpered as she struggled. Her wrists were bound tightly with rope, and it was starting to burn. Her ankles were the same. She blinked, hard, praying her eyes would adjust to the darkness, but they didnt. She gasped as the basement door was flung open, and light poured into the dank room. She looked up at his silhouette, and felt herself physically shaking with every step he took.  
"Gonna try and leave me?" he snarled, standing above her "Me? The one who's taken care of you for so long...loves you more than anything" he knelt down and she smelt the alcohol on his breath, she recoiled from him as he stroked her face. He pulled his hand away and stood up, reaching into his pocket. Her blood froze in her veins as the blade of the knife caught the light from the open door.  
"Please...dont" she whimpered, begged for her life. He laughed and brought the blade down, slicing the skin on her arm. She yelped in pain as blood poured from her arm, from the gaping wound he'd left behind, her arm burned.  
"That's my mark...you're mine..you're never leaving" he whispered, as he closed the basement door, leaving her in the dark again._

The sound of shrill laughter broke Riley from her thoughts. Apparently Carol had said something that made the other women crack up. She forced a little laugh, to make it look like she was listening.She scrubbed her clothes roughly, trying to keep her mind focused on what needed to be done. But all she could think about was Daryl, and Merle, coming back safely...and soon. Ed stomped over to the women.

"Best you focus on your work, this aint no comedy club" he spat at Carol, who kept her head down. Riley watched her, feeling her blood boil. _How could she just sit there and take that sexist crap?_

"Tell you what, Ed" she said, standing up and going toe to toe with the man. She stared up at him, she wasnt afraid. Even though he was at least six foot tall, she stood her ground. She balled up some wet laundry in her hands "You dont like the way your laundry is done, do it yourself" she flung the laundry in his chest.

"Fuck you say to me?" he snarled, flinging the laundry back in Riley's face. Carol grabbed Riley's arm as she went to swing at him.

"Riley, dont, please, its fine" she begged, the other women getting up to hold Riley back. Ed swung his hand at Carol's face slapping her hard, sending her reeling backwards. The women all yelled out in shock, and Riley shoved Ed backwards, pushing him to the ground and kicking him in the ribs, hard.

"Piece of fucking shit!" she yelled, then was roughly pushed backwards by Shane, who straddled Ed and began laying into him, punch after punch. Riley stood there in shock as Shane's fist hammered into Ed's face. Carol escaped Andrea's grip and tried to get to Ed, but Riley grabbed her, struggling as Carol fought against her, screaming at Shane to stop, they all were. "Shane! Enough!" Riley yelled in a panic, if he didnt stop, he would surely kill him. Shane grabbed Ed by the collar, threatening that if he ever laid his hands on Carol, or Sophia, or anyone, he'd beat him to death. He flung him against the ground, standing up. Riley, Jacqui, Andrea and Amy stared at Shane in shock, as Carol wept over her husband's barely conscious body, her sobbed apologies echoing around the quarry.

The events from the afternoon had all the women shaken up, and the laughter that was present earlier had died, they were barely even looking at each other now, not knowing what to say. Carol had somehow managed to take Ed back to their tent, and they hadnt seen her or Sophia since. Riley headed back to camp, her wet laundry in a basket, and she began to peg it up on the makeshift laundry line between her and Lori's tents. Once she'd finished, she noticed everyone making their way to the top of the hill, Shane leading the group.

"What's going on?" she asked Dale, running over to him.

"Jim" he muttered, looking up to the hill. She furrowed her brow in confusion, and as they approached the top, it became clear why everyone was in a bit of a panic. Jim was furiously digging holes, he'd already dug at least a dozen. He took a swing with his shovel at Shane when he approached him, and the men decided the best thing to do would be to tie him to a tree, until he calmed down, as he was scaring the children. Riley decided it was best to keep her distance, and she returned to her tent. This Georgia heat was almost too much for her Jersey skin. She laid on the floor of her tent and panted, fanning herself with her hands, her stomach growling. She couldnt take this much longer, not knowing when they'd be back...if Merle was still alive...if Daryl was. She groaned and smacked her hand against her head, as if this could stop the thoughts circling in her brain. She sat up and grabbed the journal from her bag. If there ever was a good opportunity for writing a song for distraction, now was the perfect time.

"Miss Riley?" a small voice made Riley jump, she turned her head, and Sophia was peeking her head in her tent, her blue eyes wide.

"Hey" Riley smiled kindly to the poor girl "I'm just Riley, Sophia...whats up?"

"I didnt wanna stay in the tent no more..." Sophia chewed on her fingernail nervously "Daddy..."

"I get it" Riley shuffled up a bit on the floor of her tent "You wanna come in?"

Sophia nodded timidly and stepped in, taking a seat beside Riley on the cool tent floor. She peered at Riley's journal.

"What are you doing?" she asked "Drawing?"

"Nah, I'm...writing a song" Riley hesitated before telling her the truth, feeling a little silly.

"About what?" Sophia peered up at Riley with admiration in her eyes. Riley chuckled a little.

"Love" she said simply and Sophia smiled.

"I heard your music the other night, I was supposed to be sleepin' but I heard it, you sing real pretty" smiled Sophia, she leant her head on Riley's shoulder. "I wanna be like you when i grow up, my daddy says nasty things about you, but I think you're the coolest, prettiest girl I ever saw"

Riley looked down at the small girl, touched by what she'd said. Riley rested her head against the girl's, her heart breaking for her and what she'd been through, what she was going through.

"Thanks, honey.." she whispered, stroking the girl's blonde hair softly. "Hows about we go get that guitar from Dale's RV and I'll teach ya?"

The little girl's face lit up like Christmas and she practically dragged Riley to the RV. Andrea and Amy had brought fish back to camp, and Lori, Miranda and Carol were concertrating on cooking up a feast for the camp. Riley sat cross legged in the dirt, with Sophia in her lap and the guitar across both of them as she tought her chords. Carl made his way over and sat, watching, completely fascinated.

"You have to teach me too!" he begged, and Riley smiled.

"We need more guitars" she laughed at Dale who smiled back.

"When I packed for the apocalypse I guess I slipped a little" he chuckled. Carl swapped places with Sophia and Riley held his fingers in place. They practised until dinner was ready, as night started to draw in. The kids scampered to their seats as Riley put the guitar away, Dale stopped her.

"I think we need a little dinner entertainment" he grinned at her

"Andrea never got me the bottle of Jack, that was the deal" Riley shrugged, laughing as she leant the guitar against the RV. Dale shook his head laughing as they made their way over to dinner. Riley sat in her chair, and sighed. They still werent back yet. Amy passed her a plate of fish, the smell made her stomach grumble. Andrea tossed her a beer and her night was already a little better, she smiled as she cracked it open and took a big swig. She relaxed in her chair, enjoying the night. She had Carl and Sophia in hysterics grossing Amy and Lori out with her tongue piercing, clinking it against the glass bottle.

"Why would anyone want a needle through their tongue?!" Amy shivered. Riley shrugged.

"It's only pierced with a needle, this is a barbell, and cos it looks rad" she smiled "And uh...it has other uses" she wiggled her eyebrows at the women, who all cracked up laughing, Carl and Sophia looked at their moms in confusion.

"What's so funny?" asked Carl, frowning a little, staring up at his mom. Riley alsmot spat her beer out for laughing when Lori turned bright red and avoided the question. Amy got up and stretched after all the plates had been cleared and the fire was dying out. Andrea grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" she asked, frowning at her sister.

"I need to pee" Amy hissed "Jeez, try to be discreet around here" she mumbled, embarassed as everyone erupted in laughter. Carol got up to go to check on Ed, who was licking his wounds in their tent. Amy peered her head out of the RV.

"We're out of toilet paper?!" she asked in disbelief. As soon as the words had left her lips, Carol's blood curdling scream echoed throughout the camp, and Riley watched in horror as a walker attached itself to Amy's arm, Andrea shrieked. The campers all began screaming and yelling, Lori and Carl clamoring behind Shane, Morales was fending off walkers with a bat, as was Jim. Riley jumped out of her seat, whipping her knife out, sinking it into the skull of a walker that was about to sink its teeth into Sophia.

"Get to your mom!" she hissed at the girl, pushing her towards her mother.

"They got Ed!" Carol sobbed hysterically, and Sophia broke down in her arms.

"Stay with me Carol! Sophia!" Riley yelled, tugging them out of harms way. Shane's shotgun blasts echoed through the hills. "There's too many of them! Get to the RV!"

"EVERYONE TO THE WINNEBAGO!" yelled Shane "Riley, Dale, Morales with me!"

Riley stood back to back with Shane, Dale threw her her baseball bat, and she swung it into the nearest walker's face, knocking it to the ground. She stood above it and brought the bat down once, twice, three times on the walker's head, before it stilled. She then ducked as Shane fired a shot over her head. She then heard more guns, and she looked up. She could've sobbed with relief, Rick, T-Dog, Glenn and Daryl were back...but no Merle. She'd question that later.

"Jersey!" Daryl bellowed, chucking her a shotgun, a Remington Model 870. She grabbed it and flicked the safety off, spinning round and blasting a walker straight in the face. She pumped the gun, before taking another shot at a walker grabbing at Eliza Morales. Miranda mouthed 'thank you' between tears and Riley nodded. Rick took down the last walker and there was silence. Riley couldnt help herself, she ran at Daryl and threw herself on him in a tight hug.

"Thank God" she mumbled, she pulled back to look at him. "Merle?" He avoided her eyes, scowling at the floor, her stomach sank and she hugged him a little tighter. Andrea's sobs echoed around camp. Riley turned and exhaled shakily at the sight before her. Amy was laying on the ground, bites all over her body and covered in blood, as Andrea leant over her, stroking her face and sobbing. Amy slowly brought her hand to Andrea's face, before she stilled. Riley gasped, her eyes stinging a little. She'd always gotten on well with Amy...she was so young...so innocent. It wasnt fair. Everyone else looked on in horror at the blonde embracing her dead sister, and the bodies littered around camp, of walkers and of members of their group.

"I remember my dream now. Why I dug the holes." Jim said gravely, as everyone stared at him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! I forgot in the last chapter, but special thanks to VealMaster for the extra long review, I sent you a PM but just in case you didnt get it, it made me so so happy and I literally cant stop reading it! I'm glad you like Riley, I like her too :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 7:**

Riley didnt sleep that night. She sat up with Andrea long after everyone else had calmed down and attempted to sleep.

"Andrea...honey" Riley whispered, rubbing the woman's arm. She hadnt moved from Amy's side, and Riley could feel the goosebumps on her skin. She didnt respond, just carried on staring at her sister, tears in her eyes. "Andrea...you need to leave her now...she's gone...she.." Riley couldnt bring herself to say it. She knew the young girl would re-animate soon, although no-body knew when. Andrea turned and just stared at Riley, her eyes red and puffy. "Okay.." Riley sighed and stood up. "You know where I am" she said, before walking slowly back to her tent, stepping over the bodies littered around camp. She passed Daryl's pick up truck, and glanced in. He was sat in the front, his legs on the dash, staring ahead of him. She knocked gently on the window, stirring him from his thoughts. He leant over and opened the door.

"Hey.." she mumbled, he looked at her. "Want some company?" She didnt wait for an answer before climbing into the cab next to him. They sat in silence for a while, both of them staring out over the forest.

"He cut off his hand" Daryl mumbled, making Riley jump a little.

"What?!" she breathed, turning to look at him, shock etched on her face.

"He cut off his hand. We got to tha roof and he was gone, but his hand was on the ground" Daryl practically whispered. "He used a hacksaw to do it, cauterized it an...we couldnt find him"

"Daryl...I'm so sorry" she whispered, placing a hand on his knee. Daryl looked down at her hand before scowling at her.

"Why? He aint dead, I know he aint dead, just missin' is all, an' I'm gunna find him"

Riley swallowed hard.

"You know I'll do anything I can to help you find him right?" she said softly, squeezing his leg a little. His face softened as he looked at her. This girl, she barely knew him or Merle, but she was willing to risk her life looking for him? Crazy woman. He felt something stir in his belly as they locked eyes for a second, and his heart thumped in his chest. She quickly took her hand from his knee, blushing a little, feeling like she'd overstepped the boundaries a little.

"Thanks" he muttered, turning away, breaking the eye contact. She took a breath, swallowing again, and rested her head on his shoulder, her arm linking with his.

"We'll find him" she mumbled, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. He looked down at her, watched her chest rising with every breath she took. He scowled as his body tensed a little, he wasnt used to women behaving like this around him. The women he met in the bars were just looking to get laid, all tits out, filthy remarks and short skirts, but Riley...Riley was different. She...cared about him? He sighed heavily, he was confused, he didnt know what to do. He rested his head on hers carefully, and immediatly felt his body relax, he could get used to this.

Sunlight streamed through the dirty windshield of Daryl's truck, and he stirred from his dreamless sleep. He groaned a little, stiff from sleeping upright all night. Riley let out a soft moan in her sleep, Daryl shifted uncomfortably, the stiffness in his pants aching as she nuzzled into his neck, breathing on his skin gently, one arm around his torso. He gritted his teeth, this woman was gonna kill him. Once he had 'gone down', he shook her gently as the other campers began to emerge from their tents.

"c'mon Jersey...we gotta git movin'" he muttered, chuckling to himself as she groaned and turned away from him, balling up in the passenger seat. "Get your ass outta my truck woman!" he got out and slammed his door behind him, making her jump.

"I'm up!" she squeaked, clambering out of the truck. She stretched, yawning in the early morning sunlight. Then she scanned her eyes across camp, and found Daryl, already starting to move some of the bodies into piles, but not before he'd drove a pick axe into their skulls, just to make sure. Riley picked up the body of a woman, feeling bad that she'd never learnt her name or even spoke to her, and moved her gently over to where Daryl was. She laid the woman down and winced as Daryl brought the axe down. She looked over her shoulder to where Amy was, and sure enough, Andrea was still there. Riley watched as Rick made his way over to her, and gasped as Andrea pulled her gun on him. Rick backed off, his hands held up. Riley felt sick from the stench of the dead as she carried on dragging bodies to the pile.

"Woah woah...what are you doing? Our people go over there!" said Glenn, pulling the body that she was carrying in the opposite direction. "We dont burn them!" he yelled, tears in his eyes. Riley nodded, gently, shocked by his outburst.

"A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui's panicked voice carried across camp.

"I'm okay!" he insisted, Daryl and Riley ran over, as did several others.

"Show it to us!" Daryl grunted, and Jim backed away, insisting he was okay. T-Dog and Riley ran over, he held Jim's arms behind his back and Riley lifted his shirt up, showing a perfect bite mark on his torso. She gasped and backed away as T-Dog let him go.

"You werent gonna tell us were you?" she muttered, glaring at him, he shook his head shamefully.

"I say we put a pick axe in his head" Daryl muttered, as he, Riley, Shane, Rick and Dale gathered round. "The line's pretty clear; zero tolerance for walkers."

"We dont kill the living" stated Rick, simply. "Maybe we should think about relocating...the CDC isnt far from here, we could get him there, find a cure?"

"What about Fort Benning?" questionned Shane "Military protection, food, shelter.."

"And it's 100 miles away from here!" Rick raised his voice slightly, and frowned "Besides...I heard it was overrun. The CDC is his best chance...if there's any form of government left, it'd be there"

"To hell wi' it!" Daryl growled and swung towards Jim with his pick axe, Shane grabbed him and Rick raised his gun to Daryl's head. Riley jumped in front of Daryl and shoved Rick's gun away.

"Thought you said we didn't kill the living?!" she growled, staring Rick down.

"Alrigh'" sighed Shane, breaking up the two of them "We'll head to the CDC"

Jim was moved into the bedroom of the RV, as the rest of them carried on clearing the dead. Daryl dragged Ed's body into sight, and swung the axe above his head. Riley watched as Carol stopped him, taking the axe from him and finishing the job herself, repeatedly. She sobbed as she brought it down one final time, the man's skull in bits. Daryl cringed, but said nothing. Then the rest of the camp looked on as Amy came back...only it wasnt Amy. Her eyes were glassed over and her skin pale, and she reached for Andrea, growling softly, pulling her towards her. Andrea pulled her from the ground, and put the gun against her head, and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the camp, the quarry, everywhere.

They had buried Amy in one of the holes Jim had dug, Andrea insisting she could lift her sisters body into the grave by herself. Riley stood close to Daryl, tears stinging her eyes as she watched her struggle. Daryl squeezed her arm gently, his own form of comfort for her. She smiled weakly at him. They returned to camp to begin packing for their travels to the CDC.

"You think we got a better chance there than at Fort Benning?" Riley asked Daryl as he helped her pack up her tent.

"Maybe" he grunted "Worth a shot ah guess, never know what they got in there"

"True" she agreed, as they threw her tent into the back of Daryl's truck. She then helped him to strap Merle's bike into the back.

"Aint leavin it behind" he'd said and she nodded, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Thanks" he said, with a small smile "I know my brother can be a piece a crap, but.."

"He's your brother, I understand" she said, smiling "And he's not...he just needs to calm it with the filthy comments" she smiled, and they both chuckled softly.

Riley hung her arm out of the window of Daryl's truck, the breeze rippling through her hair. They'd said goodbye, a tearful one, to Morales and his family, and now they were on their way to the CDC. Although she was glad to be one the move, something was twisting in her gut, something didnt feel right about going to this place, but she'd kept her mouth shut and gone along with it. Daryl glanced at her, his hands tight on the steering wheel. She was pulling strange faces as she looked out of the window, like she was chewing something.

"You steal some food?" he asked, she turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You got somethin' in ya mouth" he pointed out "Chewin' on it"

"Oh, just my tongue bar" she smiled "I do it when I'm thinking"

_Tounge bar?!_ Daryl gritted his teeth and tried not to think about how hot that was. He couldnt help but think how that would feel on his-

"The fuck's going on?" Riley leant out of her window, practically sticking her ass in Daryl's face. Their little line of traffic had come to a halt. Riley pulled herself back in and unbuckled her seat belt as Daryl came to a stop. She jumped out of the truck, walking over to the rest of the group. "What happened?" she asked, glancing at the RV and the smoke rising from it.

"Radiator hose burst" sighed Dale "I knew it wouldnt last" he rubbed his eyes.

"What do we do?" Riley looked at Daryl, who shrugged. Shane and T-Dog volunteered to drive ahead to look for parts, when Jacqui dashes out of the RV, saying that Jim had gotten worse. Riley sat down on the grass next to the road, the heat again getting too much for her.

"You okay?" asked Daryl, looking down at her with concern in his eyes.

"I'm a Jersey girl, I'm not used to the heat" she said, gratefully taking the bottle of water he offered her. Rick came out of the RV, speaking in a low voice. Jim had thrown the towel in. He wanted to be left behind. Daryl offered his hand to Riley, who grabbed it and he pulled her up, out of the way, as the group carried Jim to a nearby tree. The rest of the group said their goodbyes, and Riley and Daryl stood back, watching. When everyone else had gotten back into their vehicles, Jim looked at Daryl.

"Take care of her" he said weakly, nodding to Riley. Daryl nodded, and Riley smiled at Jim, before they turned their backs on him and walked to the truck. Daryl started the engine up again, and they carried on their drive. The sun was almost set as they arrived at the CDC. Riley cast her eyes towards the giant building, the ground was littered with bodies.

"Looks like the military were overrun" Daryl said gruffly, cutting the engine. "Grab ya bag...and ya gun"

They met up with the rest of the group, who all had their guns at the ready, as they began to slowly approach the building. "Keep up wi' me" Daryl whispered to her, she nodded, and flicked the safety off her gun. They reached the door, and Riley's heart sunk. It was shut down. Locked. With no signs that anyone was there.

"Fuck" Riiley kicked the ground in anger, wandering around the back of the group whilst Rick pounded the door. She looked up. "Shit!" she yelled, aiming her shotgun at the herd of walkers stumbling towards the group. She took her first shot, making the walker's head explode into a million tiny pieces. Daryl rushed to her side, firing his gun, and other shots rang out from behind them. Riley walked forward, pumping her gun once more. She didnt notice the walker on the ground. It reached out, grabbing her ankle in a strong grip, she toppled over, her elbow banging into the ground, and her shotgun went skidding across the asphalt. She grunted, trying to shake the walker off, but it pulled its other hand up her other leg, strengthening its grip "DARYL!" she screamed out, helpless, the walker was too strong. Daryl sprinted over to her and kicked the walker off of her, and stomped its head in with his boot. He picked up Riley's gun, then he pulled her up, holding her at arm's length, checking her over.

"You okay?" he asked softly, then frowned "I told ya to stay close!"

"I'm sorry..sorry" she whispered, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the group.

"Stay there!" he bellowed at her, throwing her her gun, darting forward to take out another walker. Sophia and Carol clung to Riley, both of them sobbing, scared shitless. Riley aimed her gun again, pulling the trigger.

"WE HAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN WITH US! YOU'RE KILLING US!" Rick bellowed over the shots and screams. Shane ceased shooting and dragged Rick away from the door

"We'll try for Fort Benning! Everyone to the cars!" Shane yelled over Rick's screaming, everyone yelling at him to drop it and just leave.

Then the doors opened.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**If you're offended by smut, I suggest you dont read this chapter, sorry! I have a filthy mind and I have to express it somehow!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 8**

Riley squinted in the harshness of the bright light, bringing a hand up to sheild her eyes.

"Go!" yelled Rick, grabbing Lori and Carl and running into the light. Daryl rushed up behind Riley and tugged her inside by her arm.

"C'mon, Jersey" he grunted, running with her. They all ran into the lobby, and stopped at the sight of a haggard looking man. But he was holding an automatic.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked, aiming the gun at the group, Daryl raising his instintively, Riley pushed it down, staring at the man.

"A chance" Rick said simply and the man let out a gruff chuckle.

"That's asking an awful lot these days" he eyed the group, spotting the children. He lowered his weapon a little. "You all submit to a blood test- that's the price of admission"

"Fair enough" nodded Rick

"Grab your things" the man said "Once this door closes, it stays closed"

The group piled in to the elevator, still uneasy around this strange man, who'd introduced himself as Dr Edwin Jenner. The group stood in silence, Riley's eyes were kept on the doctor and his gun, she felt uneasy around him.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" asked Daryl, apparently, he didnt feel too easy around this guy either.

The doctor chuckled

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough." he looked down at Carl, smiling "Except you, might have to keep my eye on you"

Carl smiled back at the stranger.

"Are we underground?" asked Riley, nervously eyeing up the corridor the doctor was leading them through, her lungs felt a little tight.

"Are you claustrophobic?" he asked, looking back at her.

"A little" she nodded

"Try not to think about it" he said kindly, before leading them into the main control room. "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room"

Sure enough, the lights came on, and the group were standing in a huge room, filled with computers, and desks, and a large screen on the main wall. "Welcome to Zone Five"

"BOOYAH!" yelled Daryl, wobbling with a bottle of red wine in his hands, as they toasted their host. Jenner had led them to the cafeteria, and let them raid the fridges. The group had sat down to a feast, with what seemed like limitless amounts of alcohol. Riley raised her large glass in toast, along with Glenn and T-Dog.

"Booyah!" she giggled, before downing the wine.

"Damn girl" laughed T-Dog "You sure you can handle that?"

"I'm fine" she winked "Drinking was a hobby of mine in Jersey" she held her glass out to Daryl who grinned at her and filled it up.

"This will be entertaining tomorrow" smirked Jacqui, who didnt drink, but was still having a good time. Riley stuck her tongue out at her, Daryl was staring at that damn piercing again. He couldnt help it, he'd never been with a woman with a pierced tongue before, it fascinated him. Shane scowled at the others along the table, not interested in celebrating.

"When are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here?" he growled, glaring at Jenner. The rest of the table ceased their laughter and happy chatter as Jenner lowered his glass and sighed, explaining that most of the doctors fled.

"The rest couldnt handle walking out of the door" he said, avoiding Shane'e eyes "They...opted out. I stayed in the hope that I could do something good"

"Dude..you are such a buzz kill, man" a very drunk Glenn said sadly. The rest of dinner was eaten in silence. After dinner, Jenner directed the group to the living quarters, and showing them the rec room.

"Go easy on the hot water" he said, before walking off and leaving them to it. Glenn looked at Riley, a big grin on his face.

"Did he say hot water?"

"That's what the man said!" she grinned back, the group racing towards the bathroom. Groans erupted as Lori made it in first, Riley decided to wait. She shrugged her backpack higher up on her shoulder as she walked up and down the corridor looking for a free bedroom.

"Everywhere's taken" said Jacqui, poking her head out of her room. "But Daryl's on his own"

"Great" muttered Riley, she highly doubted he'd want to share. She knocked on his door.

"jersey!" he smiled, clutching a bottle of Southern Comfort. Riley spied the bottle and gasped, throwing her bags in the room. "Whaddya doin'?!"

"We're roomies now, and gimme that!" she swiped the bottle from his hands, throwing her head back and taking a big swig. "Bet I can out drink you, hick"

"You're on, Jersey Shore" he gave her a shit eating grin, before snatching the bottle back. Sophia appeared at their door.

"Riley! There's guitars and a piano in the rec room! Come see!" she squealed in excitement.

"I will in a bit Soph, I gotta shower first" she grinned at the 12 year old who nodded, and ran back to the rec room. Riley turned to Daryl. "We will resume this after my shower" she gestured to the bottle, he chuckled before flopping back on the couch, swigging some more from the bottle. She grabbed some clothes from her bag, deciding to bring out the Jersey girl tonight. She headed to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She stripped off and stepped under the heavenly water, letting out a content sigh. Showering had never felt so damn good. She washed her hair twice, grime and walker blood flowing down the drain. She shaved her legs and her underarms carefully, also tending to other bits, before stepping out and drying off. She found some moisturiser in the bathroom cabinet and slathered it over her body. She pulled on her underwear, then her favourite pair of acid washed skinny jeans, with rips in the thighs and knees. She then pulled her Misfit's tshirt over her head, the one she'd cut the shoulders off of, and cut up the back, so it was nothing more than strips of material tied together with her bare back showing through. She dried her hair, before reaching for her makeup bag, appyling her eyeliner, hell, she was making the most of tonight, she smiled at herself in the mirror. There she was. The girl she knew back home. Only better. She pulled on her Converse and gathered her dirty clothes, walking back to her and Daryl's room.

Daryl almost choked on his whiskey as Riley walked back into the room.

"Damn, Jersey" he coughed as she bent over to shove her things into her bag. She grinned to herself before straightening up and walking over to him. She yanked him up from the sofa, pressing their bodies together, their noses practically touching. She smiled at him as his eyes wandered to her lips, before reaching down between them and grabbing the bottle from him. She brought it up to her mouth, taking another swig. She lowered the bottle down and ran her tongue along her lips in a seductive manner, getting every trace of alcohol around her mouth, and all Daryl could do was stare, as the blood left his brain and went...elsewhere.

"Come on Dixon" she grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the rec room. Everyone apart from Shane was in there, enjoying the couches, and books, whilst the kids played with the guitars. "Holy shit!" she gasped at the baby grand piano in the corner, rushing over and running her fingers lightly over the keys.

"Riley! Riley look!" Carl grinned at her as he played a perfect D chord.

"Thats amazing, bud" she smiled at him. Andrea walked over to her, her hands behind her back.

"You owe us a show" she grinned, before handing her a bottle of Jack Daniels. Riley's eyes widened as she threw her arms around Andrea. "You're welcome!"

Riley took the bottle from her and stared at it in her hands, everyone laughing at her. She opened the bottle and drank deeply from it.

"Oooh my God" she moaned a little, before wiping her mouth, gesturing to Carl to give her a guitar. She sat on top of the piano, clearing her throat as everyone watched her. "It's been a while since I did this"

"WOO!" yelled a very drunk Daryl from the couch, making Sophia and Carl giggle. Riley took another swig of JD, before starting to play Better Sorry Than Safe, her fingers gliding over the neck of the guitar easily. She began to sing , her heart hammering in her chest.

_I can't even think of one good reason_

_Why I'm always thinkin about leavin_

_It's not like everything's so horrible_

_Been together for a few years now_

_And you know all my ins and outs_

_But everything's way to comfortable_

_From the moment I wake_

_I plan my escape_

_I'm not scared_

_Cause I know there's something out there waiting for me_

_And I swear_

_That I'll find it someday_

_Just wait and see_

_I don't care_

_That you call me crazy_

_I can't stay cause I need room to breathe_

_There's nothing left to say_

_Better sorry than safe_

_Sometimes I wish you cheated on me_

_Then leavin here would be so easy_

_It's time to take a chance and give you up_

_In the morning I wake_

_And make my escape_

_I'm not scared_

_Cause I know there's something out there waiting for me_

_And I swear_

_That I'll find it someday_

_Just wait and see_

_I don't care_

_That you call me crazy_

_I can't stay cause I need room to breathe_

_There's nothing left to say_

_Better sorry than safe_

_I'm not scared_

_Cause I know there's something out there waiting for me_

_And I swear_

_That I'll find it someday_

_Just wait and see_

_I don't care_

_That you call me crazy_

_I can't stay cause I need room to breathe_

_There's nothing left to say_

_Better sorry than safe_

_Yeah_

_There's nothing left to say_

She finished playing and singing, and the group exploded into applause, she felt her face flush as she noticed Daryl staring at her. it was the hottest damn thing he'd ever seen. Without breaking eye contact, they both swigged from their bottles. She carried on playing for a while, loving the feeling of performing again.

"Play the song you were writing!" squealed Sophia, Riley giggled

"It's not finished yet, little girl, when it is, I'll play it especially for you mmkay? Besides, I dont think my fingers will work" she said, then burped. She covered her mouth in shock as the rest of the group laughed hysterically. Carol, Sophia, Lori, Rick, Carl, Dale, Jacqui and Shane all went to bed, whilst the rest stayed in the rec room, drinking. T-Dog found the sound system and plugged it in, and crappy club music pumped from the speakers, but at this point Riley didnt care. She pulled Andrea up from the couch and started dancing. Andrea had been miserable earlier, but Riley had cheered her up a little, reminding her of her sister. Glenn whooped and cheered as he watched the women dance, and Daryl scowled as Riley let Glenn drink from her bottle of JD.

"You suck!" Glenn whined as he pulled a face in disgust, Riley howled with laughter at him

"Come on dude! Man up!" she laughed, tossing her bottle to T-Dog. Glenn laughed at her, his face bright red from the drink.

"I'm gonna call it a night I think" laughed Andrea, exhausted from dancing with Riley. Riley pouted a little but she was smiling, and waved to her. T-Dog and Glenn also went to bed, leaving just Daryl and Riley in the rec room. She emptied her bottle of Jack and turned the stereo off.

"Enough of that shit" she mumbled to herself, then threw herself on the couch next to Daryl, the room spinning a little. He chuckled at her, emptying his own bottle.

"Ya alrigh' there, Jersey?" he leant back a little to look at her.

"S'all good" she slurred, trying to pull herself off the couch, but falling back. "My legs wont work" she mumbled to herself. Daryl rolled his eyes, smiling.

"C'mon, thought you could outdrink me?" he teased

"Shuddup" she moaned, leaning her head back against the couch, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto her feet, their bodies pressed together tightly again, her breasts pushed up against his chest. She looked up at him, their mouths inches away from each other's. "Hi"

"Hi" he breathed, before leaning his head down and kissing her. Although it was a simple, soft kiss, Riley sighed into it, wrapping her arms around Daryl's neck, pulling her hips closer to his. His hands slid down over her body, resting at her hips. She pulled away slightly, their eyes locking, their breath hot on each other's faces. Then they slammed their lips together again, his tongue hungrily exploring her mouth as she moaned softly, one of her hands running down over his chest, feeling the muscles, looping her finger in his jeans. He pushed her up against the wall, breaking the kiss for a moment to attack her pale neck with his lips, something he'd been aching to do since the moment he'd first laid eyes on her. Her hand that was around his neck moved up into his hair as she whimpered at the feeling of his soft lips on her. Her other hand began to unbutton his jeans. "Not here" he groaned, his voice low and sexy, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along the corridor to their room. He shut the door and she pinned him up against it roughly, kissing him hard, nibbling his bottom lip, making him groan. She could feel his arousal pressing into her stomach and it just encouraged her even more. She stood on her toes, reaching up to kiss his neck, nibbling gently on his ear. "Damn, gerl" he breathed, his hard on aching as her hands wandered down his chest again. She reached her hand into his jeans, making him gasp a little as she wrapped her hand around his boxer clad erection, squeezing lightly. She moaned appreciatively at his size, before drawing her hand out, making him fronw down at her. She grinned at him before spinning him around roughly and shoving him on the bed. She stood at the end of the bed, stripping off her tshirt, jeans and shoes, standing before him in her underwear. Daryl bit his lip, suprised he didnt finish right there and then in his pants.

"C'mere" he breathed, sitting up and grabbing her hand, pulling her on top of him. She giggled a little before undoing his jeans and sliding them off of his muscular legs. She then began to tug at his vest, he hesitated.

"What's wrong?" she mumbled, biting her lip. He looked into her eyes, then avoiding them.

"Nuthin'" he lied, before pulling his shirt off slowly. She gasped at the scars on his chest, running her fingers lightly over them. He flinched at the contact.

"Daryl..." she whispered, looking at him, he was still avoiding her eyes. She bent down and captured his lips in a kiss, before trailing kisses down his jaw and neck, stopping to nibble on his collarbone gently, making him grunt and squirm underneath her. She then carried on placing light kisses over his chest, over his ugly scars, and down his torso. She licked at the skin just above the waistband of his boxers, her tongue bar dragging along the skin and her eyes on him.

"Fuck" he grunted, his hips bucking involuntarily. She grinned at him, before pulling his boxers down and throwing them across the room. She didnt hesitate before taking him into her mouth, swallowing him down. "Jeezus" he groaned, watching her. She knew exactly what she was doing, and he shivered as she pulled her mouth off of him and licked his up his length, teasing the head with the tip of her tongue, running the ball of her tongue bar over it. Daryl was going insane, it felt so good.

"Show me how you like it" she whispered, looking up at him, he shifted uncomfortably. "Please.." she begged, and he gave in, guiding her head up and down his erection slowly, she took his lead and swatted his hand away, picking up the speed a little. He felt that familiar feeling pooling in his belly.

"Riley...Riley stop.." he panted, pulling her up to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked again, her eyes full of worry that she'd done something wrong "Did I-?"

"You didnt do nothin' wrong, just if you carried on like tha this'd be ova quicker than ah want it ta be" he breathed, reaching behind her and undoing the clasp of her bra with one hand. She raised one eyebrow.

"Impressive, Dixon" she grinned

"Jus' ya wait" he smirked at her, before leaning down and kissing her neck again, one of his rough hands wandering up her body, finding her breasts, kneading the soft flesh. She gasped and moaned as he brought his mouth down, replacing his hands with his mouth. One of his hands stroked her soft skin just above her underwear, before dipping his hand in. He groaned at how wet she was already, as he stroked her with one finger, finding the swollen bud he was searching for. He circled it with his finger and grinned as he felt her buck beneath him. He took his mouth from her nipple and kissed his way down her body, trailing his tongue over her stomach. He peeled off her underwear and licked her core. Riley bit her lip to stop her from practically screaming out in pleasure as he licked her over and over, teasing her with his fingers. He could feel her tense up and knew she was close.

"D-Daryl.." she whimpered "Oh god..." she let out a long, breathy moan as she came, hard. He grinned to himself, _yeah tha's righ', she's makin' those sounds fer ME, moanin' MY name_. She panted heavily, coming down from her orgasm, pulling him up to face her and kissing him hungrily, tasting herself on his lips. "I need you...now" she begged and he nodded, lining himself up at her entrance.

"Wai'.." he breathed "Dont we need...somethin'?"

"I'm on the Pill, I stocked up" she whispered, her hands in his hair, he groaned at her response before pushing into her, both of them groaning at how damn good it felt. He began to thrust slowly, as she wrapped her smooth legs around his waist, pulling him deeper. "I'm not gonna break, Dixon" she smirked at him, and he bit her collarbone, smirking, before slamming into her, causing her to throw her head back and moan, loudly. She was beautiful, he thought to himself, thrusting into her roughly and fast, just how they both needed it. He brought her legs up to his shoulders, kissing her ankles as he continued to pump inside her. She bit her lip, she was close again, she dug her nails into his back, moaning his name over and over.

"Tha's righ'..come on, baby" he grunted, reaching down between them and stroking her clit roughly. That was it for her, she saw stars as she tightened around him, moaning his name again. Seeing and feeling her come was enough for him "Jesus Christ...Riley..." he groaned as he came inside her. He rolled off of her and they laid there, panting heavily, covered in sweat. "Damn, Jersey" he chuckled as she rolled over and rested her head on his chest, rubbing her smooth legs against his.

"Yeah" she breathed, unable to string any more words together. He slowly wrapped his arm around her and felt her nuzzle into him more. He smiled as she fell asleep on him, feeling his own eyes slipping shut.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 9**

Riley awoke in the middle of the night/early hours of the morning, butt naked, with an equally naked Daryl wrapped around her, and one god damn pounding head. She turned her head to look at Daryl, who was sound asleep, snoring softly, his arm around her waist. She immediately started to panic. What the hell was she doing? She didnt stay with a guy after sex, she normally left them in the middle of the night, no note, no number, nothing. She shouldnt still be in this bed right now, but part of her, most of her, wanted to stay, wrapped in his strong arms. _Get a grip, Jesus Christ, _she thought angrily. She slowly unwrapped Daryl's arm from around her waist, and snuck out of bed, tip-toeing to her bag, throwing on her PJ's, and laying down on the couch. She wrapped the spare blanket around her, shivering slightly, and turned over to go to sleep.

"What tha hell are ya doin' woman?" Daryl mumbled sleepily, sitting up in bed, the sheets covering his lower half. SHe jumped and sat up.

"I thought..I uh.." she stammered, Daryl scowled at her.

"Git your ass back into bed, woman" he said softly, patting the bed next to him. She frowned slightly, her heart hammered as she padded back over to the bed, lying gently down next to him. She turned away from him, her eyes filling with tears as he wrapped his arms around her again.

"I dont...I dont know how to do this" she whispered into the darkness, Daryl rested his head on her shoulders, kissing the shell of her ear gently, his fingers gently stroking her scar on her arm.

"Me either Jersey" he admitted. But he knew that from then on, he'd do anything he could to protect this girl, even if it cost him his life.

_"This aint the time to be fallin' in love.." _Merle's voice rang out through the darkness, and Daryl snuggled closer to Riley, who had fallen back asleep.

"Fuck off, Merle" he mumbled, closing his eyes again.

**ooooooooooooo**

Riley hugged the toilet bowl, retching again, the last of the alcohol emerging from her stomach. She spat into the bowl before flushing it, sitting back against the cool bathroom tiles, panting, her eyes streaming.

"Ya alrigh'?" Daryl poked his head in and she curled up in a ball on the floor.

"Dont look at me" she groaned, covering her face with her hands. Daryl chuckled, before pulling her up gently. He lead her back into the bedroom, sitting her down on the couch, handing her a glass of water. "Thank you" she said, hoarsely "Guess I cant drink as well as I used to"

"Or hol' it in" he smirked and she swatted at him, before gulping the water down. She placed the empty glass on the floor before letting out a dramatic moan.

"Kill me" she looked up at Daryl who was still grinning that shit eating grin of his "How come you're not hanging outta your ass?"

"I aint a pussy" he winked and jumped back as she tried to punch him on the leg. "Come on princess, we need a shower"

"Together?" she raised an eyebrow at him as she sat up, slowly, smiling a little. He shrugged.

"Not like tha'...unless yer up fer it" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. She giggled a little, standing up.

"Thanks for the charming offer, Mr Dixon, but I think I'm a little fragile to have my brains fucked out again yet" she grinned at him "But I will shower with you"

"Come on then" he grinned, before picking her up and putting her over his shoulder gently, carrying her to the bathroom, her squeals echoing through the hallway. He slammed the bathroom door behind them and put her on the ground. They looked at each other for a moment, awkwardly, their confidence from last night gone. They were about to see each other naked. _Sober_.

"We should..." she mumbled, blushing, gesturing towards the shower. He grunted, also blushing, turning the water on. He gave her a chance to undress whilst his back was turned, and she stepped in, the hot water making her feel human again as she rinsed her mouth out. He stripped off, stepping in behind her, taking in her gorgeous figure. His hands on her hips made her jump, she'd almost forgotten that he was there, and she turned to face him, their bodies once again close together. Her eyes ran over his chest, the scars more prominent in the light of the bathroom. Her fingers ran over them gently as he flinched again.

"My pa...he was a mean drunk" he whispered, barely audible over the running water. Her eyes softened and she kissed his chest, he was beautiful, so beautiful, and it hurt her to think about someone hurting him...

"I'm sorry.." she sighed, before he bent down to kiss her again. It started off as a simple kiss, but gradually began to heat up, as he pressed her back against the cool tiles. "I thought I said no..." she gasped as he kissed her neck gently.

"Jersey, you an' I both know ya didn' really mean it" he grinned, before placing his hands under her butt and lifting her up, leaning her against the wall. Her nails dragged along his back as he slid easily into her, the angle making her moan loudly, squeezing her legs around his waist. He grunted as he thrust into her rougly, their moans bouncing from the tiled walls. She came practically screaming his name.

**ooooooooo**

"Dont ever let me drink again...ever ever ever" moaned Glenn, clutching his head, slumped over the table. Riley giggled a little, her hangover had been cured thanks to Daryl Dixon and his amazing dick.

"Lightweight" she snickered, shoving him gently, laughing harder as he face planted the table, groaning. She held out his plate to T-Dog, who piled it with powdered eggs.

"Protein helps the hangover" he grinned, and Riley loaded a fork with eggs and directed it to Glenn's mouth, like she was feeding a baby. Jenner arrived, looking as hung over as the rest of them, and the group began to throw questions at him.

"We didnt come here for the eggs" Andrea spat. Jenner, sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Come with me" he muttered, leading the group back into the control room. "Vi, bring up the brain scans from Test Subject 19"

Riley sat in one of the computer chairs, close to where Daryl stood as the screen illuminated before the group, displaying a brain scan. Jenner explained that this test subject was infected, and allowed the CDC to record the process, from start to finish.

"What are those lights?" asked Lori, pointing to the screen.

"Synapses.." muttered Riley, and everyone turned to stare at her. "I enjoyed science at school" She blushed, looking at Jenner.

"You're correct...they're synapses. Experience, memories. Somewhere in all that organic wiring is you. The thing that makes you unique and human" he said, looking towards Rick. Then he looked back at the screen, as it dipicted the 'virus' attacking the brain. The brain then went dark. "Death" he mumbled. "Everything you were or ever will be - gone...Vi, forward to the second event"

The group stared at the screen as the brain appeared to reboot.

"It restarts the brain?" asked Lori, obviously horrified. Jenner shook his head.

"Just the brain-stem. The human part - the you part - that doesn't come back." he said sadly, and the group gasped as a flash of light ripped across the screen.

"What the hell was that?" gasped Andrea

"He shot his patient in the head.." Riley frowned, Daryl gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. She looked over at Andrea, who was pale. She then looked at Jenner "She lost somebody two days ago..her sister"

"I lost somebody too, I know how devastating it is" Jenner said kindly, a hand on Andrea's shoulder.

"So..you dont know what it is?" asked Rick, almost a begging tone in his voice, he needed answers. They all did. His shoulders sunk a little as Jenner shook his head.

"It could be viral, microbial, fungal..."

"Or the wrath of God" said Jacqui, unable to take her eyes off the screen.

"Or that" Jenner nodded "Whatever it is, we dont know how to treat it, I've lost contact with all the other facilities, I've been in the dark for almost a month"

"There's nothing left anywhere...thats what you're really saying, right?" asked Andrea in a quiet voice, and Jenner avoided her eyes. Riley exhaled shakily, bringing her hand up to Daryl's on her shoulder. Her gut sank, the whole world couldnt have just...ended? As far as she knew, it was only the east coast and GA that had been affected, but obviously she was wrong.

"That clock..." Dale's voice broke the stunned silence. "What happens when it reaches zero?" he pointed at the large digital clock on the wall, which had reached 60 minutes. Jenner hesitated before answering that the basement generators would run out of fuel.

"Vi, what happens at zero?!" Rick bellowed, sick of Jenner avoiding answers. Riley's heart seemed to stop beating as the computer replied that at zero, plant-wide decontamination will occur. She prayed it didnt mean what she thought it did. Rick, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog ran off to look in the basement for the generators, whilst the rest stayed on the upper level, heading back to their rooms. Riley sighed and sat on the bed, Daryl pacing furiously.

"Think he'd know somethin'" he growled

"Anything" she agreed with him, and looked up when he suddenly stopped pacing. "What?" she asked nervously.

"Air con went off" he grunted, poking his head out of their room. Then the lights died. Riley clammed up with fear.

"Daryl" she whimpered, frozen to the bed. He outstretched his hand for her, and she grabbed it.

"S'okay, Jersey, ahm here" he said softly "C'mon, we're gittin' answers" he pulled her along the hallways, where the others were confronting Jenner, who simply explained that the building was shutting itself down, and that the system was designed to keep the computers running until the last possible second, and not to waste energy on 'unimportant things'. He sat back down at his desk in the control room, explaining that it was the French, they stuck it out the longest before they ran out of power.

"The building will decontaminate in thirty minutes..it's too late to stop it without any fuel" he sighed, avoiding everyone's eyes. An alarm blared, making everyone jump.

"Everyone get your things, we're leaving, now!" barked Rick, and Daryl, keeping a tight grip on Riley's hand, began running towards the door, which shut as they reached it.

"Did he just lock us in?!" panicked Glenn, wide eyed.

"Everything top side is automatically locked down, when that door closes, it wouldnt open again...you heard me say that" Jenner said, looking at Rick, who was glaring back at the scientist. Riley felt sick as he went on to remind them where they were, and that to stop any unwated disease from getting out, in an emergency HIT's would be deployed, setting the air on fire.

"Oh god" she whimpered, sliding down the wall onto the floor, as Carol and Sophia started to sob, and Rick embraced his family. Daryl and Shane hacked away at the door desperately with axes.

"There's no point, those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher" he said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but yer head aint!" roared Daryl and Riley sprung off her feet as he charged towards Jenner, his axe raised, she leapt onto his back, holding his arms as T-Dog, Dale and Rick helped to restrain him.

"Daryl dont.." she whispered and he grunted, breathing hard. They let him go and he continued to pace, his chest heaving, glaring at Jenner. Shane held a shotgun to Jenner's head, and then shots rang out as he destroyed nearby computers and workstations. Jenner explained to Rick that he'd made a promise, to TS-19, his wife, who was one of the best scientists in the field, to keep going for as long as he could.

"Please...we want that chance.." begged Lori, tears in her eyes as she held Carl to her. Bangs echoed throughout the control room as Daryl continued to hack away at the door. When the door suddenly opened, he yelled to the other's to move it. Riley grabbed Carol's hand and pulled her and Sophia along the walkway.

"Im staying!" protested Jacqui, and Riley spun around, running back to her.

"Jacqui...no.." she begged, holding the woman's hands

"I'm staying sweetie, I'm not ending up like Jim and Amy..you need to get out..get out!" she said, gently pushing Riley, who refused to move.

"No!" she said through gritted teeth as Jacqui let go of her hands, tears welling up in her eyes. "NO!" she screamed as Daryl wraped his arms around her waist and heaved her away, she wailed for Jacqui along the corridor, struggling against him, but he was too strong. Dale and Andrea also stayed behind, Riley couldnt believe what was happening. Daryl plonked her down before running towards the windows of the lobby with Rick, banging away at the glass with their axes.

"Get back!" Shane yelled, seeing the axes werent making a dent, as he aimed his shotgun and fired. Nothing.

"The glass wont break?!" Sophia squeaked in horror, as Riley held her close.

"Rick..I found this in your pocket when i was washing your clothes.." Carol held her hand out, a grenade sitting in her palm. Rick looked at her in shock before running over to the window and pulling the pin.

"Oh shh-" he gasped, running away from it "EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

Riley covered Sophia's body with hers, her hands over her ears as the blast shook the building, and broke the glass.

"Thank God" she breathed, getting to her feet and sprinting with Sophia and Carol as fast as she could out of the building. She was then grabbed by Daryl, pulling her towards his truck. He opened the driver door, throwing her in.

"Jersey, git down!" he shouted, before diving in too, covering her body with his. Riley yelled in shock as the building set on fire and exploded, the fire and smoke rising high into the air, the ground shaking with the verocity of the explosion. Daryl slowly sat up as the noise died down, both of them breathing heavily. He shook her shoulder, signalling that it was okay, and she sat up, clapping her hand to her mouth as she saw the wrecked building in front of them, then breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that Dale and Andrea had made it out safely. Daryl looked on at the building in shock, as she rested her head on his shoulder and let a tear slip down her cheek, she couldnt believe that Jacqui was gone. "Yer okay.." he mumbled, slipping his arm around her and holding her close to him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 10**

Riley threw her bags into the RV, swallowing hard.

"You sure you're gonna be okay on the back of Daryl's bike?" asked Dale, raising an eyebrow at her. She nodded.

"Sure, his truck ran outta gas so its not like I have a choice" she shrugged.

"There's room in here" Dale gestured to the bench in the RV, she smiled at him.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine" she reassured him

"She wants to be with her boooooyfriend" sang Sophia, Riley chuckled a little, shoving her gently.

"Daryl isn't my boyfriend, monkey, he's..." she trailed off, realising that they hadnt actually spoken about what happened at the CDC yet. She chewed on her tongue bar, what WAS this between them?

"Sophia, go sit down" said Carol gently, seeing how the young girl's statement had thrown Riley off track. Riley smiled before hastily exiting the RV. The decision had been made to move on from Atlanta, and try for Ft Benning. She placed her sunglasses over her eyes, walking over to Daryl and the motorcycle.

"You ever ridden one o' these before?" he asked, looking up at her from the ground where he was crouched, making some final adjustments to the bike. She shook her head, biting her lip. "Scared?" he teased

"Fuck you" she retorted, even though her stomach flipped as she looked at the bike.

"Yah gonna be fine" he rolled his eyes as he sat on the bike. She blinked at him. "Well, c'mon then" he snapped "Git on"

"I prefer to be asked a little nicer" she smirked, hoping he'd pick up on the dirty joke. He chuckled a little as she climbed on the bike behind him "Aw Daryl do I get to cuddle you?" she teased

"Shut up woman" he smiled, placing her arms around his waist "And dont be screamin' in my ear neither" he grunted as he started the engine, her grip tightening and a squeak escaping from her mouth as he slowly drove the bike past everyone else. He chuckled slightly, as she pressed her body closer to his, her head resting on his shoulder as they began their long drive.

**ooooooooo**

_The alarm blared in her ears, repetitive and relentless._

_"Fuck" she groaned, rolling over and slamming her fist down onto it. She pulled herself out of bed, stretching, the sunlight streaming through her window. She'd forced herself to get up and go for a run this morning, even though her dad had given her the day off from work. She pulled on her sweatpants and gray racerback cami top, tugged on her sneakers and grabbed her ipod and headphones. "I'm out for a run mom!" she called as she jogged down the stairs. No reply, she was probably in the yard or something, her mom was weird like that, always up early doing something. She opened the front door and stepped outside, stretching her legs, waving to the paper boy who sped past on his bike. She plugged her headphones in and began to run. She was out for about an hour before she headed back to the house, panting, heading straight upstairs for a shower. Once she was clean, she changed into a white cami top and her ripped jeans, the ones with the least holes in mind you, she wasn't in the mood for her dad to go ape shit about her showing TOO much flesh. She studied herself in the mirror, jumping out of her skin when she heard a blood curdling scream, and a loud THUD._

_"MOM?!" she yelled, immediatly charging down the stairs, grabbing her Horton on the way down. Bit extreme, maybe, but in Jersey you could never be too careful, and if any random dude was in her house, he'd shit himself at the sight of it. She slowed down as she reached the bottom of the stairs, treading carefully. The front door was wide open. She frowned a little, closing it quietly. She could hear bangs coming from the dining room, she made sure her bow was ready to go, before walking slowly towards the room. "Mom?" she called softly in the kitchen, her breath catching in her throat as she spotted the pool of blood leading into the dining room. "Dad?" she called desperately. She turned the corner into the dining room, and gagged at the smell, rotting flesh and blood. She let out a scream at the sight before her. Her mother was on the floor, her body limp, and a man was crouched over her. A pool of blood had formed around her mother's body, and the man was kneeling in it, soft growls coming from his throat. "Get the fuck away from her!" Riley yelled, raising her bow. The man turned around. "Dad?!" her voice trembled as she looked at her father...or the thing that resembled him. It stared at her, her mother's intestines hanging from its mouth, her blood smeared around his face. Its eyes were whited out, and its flesh was hanging from its face, revealing its skull underneath. It roared at her, an unearthly sound, she backed away hastily, dropping her bow and falling flat on her ass, scooting along the floor as it rushed towards her, its arms outstretched and its jaws snapping. It leapt onto her and she screamed, trying to force it off of her, trying hard not to puke at the smell. She whimpered as she struggled with the creature, her bow was too far away to reach, and her arms were almost giving out. She grunted and rolled over, pinning the thing to the floor. "Daddy.." she whispered "I'm sorry.." she gasped, pulling her father's knife from his boot and plunging it through his skull. The creature stilled and she leapt off of it, recoiling in horror at what she'd done. She leant against the wall, sobbing silently into her hands. She gathered herself and walked over to her bow, bending down and picking it up. She then heard a low moan. She turned and aimed her bow. "I love you mom.." she breathed, before pulling the trigger._

**oooooooooo**

"Hey, ya still with me?" Daryl's voice called out to her, and she snapped back to reality.

"Sorry" she yelled back over the bike's engine. They were on a highway, somewhere, the sun beating down on them. She spotted a traffic snarl dead ahead of them. "Can we get through that?"

Daryl slowed the bike down, looking for a way through. He turned the bike around, crawling up to the RV.

"You see a way through?" called Dale, Daryl nodded his head, signalling for them to follow. He drove the bike carefully through an already marked out path, passing hundreds of derelict vehicles, some with people still inside them. Riley looked over her shoulder as she heard a loud bang. She shook Daryl's shoulder.

"The radiator hose has gone again" she sighed, and Daryl growled in frustration as he cut the bike's engine, kicking out the stabiliser. Riley hopped down off the bike, her knees slightly wobbly, secretly she was glad to be off of that damn bike. SHe smoothed down her wind swept hair, making her way over to the others.

"We could look for a radiator hose here" pointed out Shane, looking over the abandoned vehicles.

"Maybe some water, too" said Carol, her arm wrapped around Sophia.

"We could siphon more fuel from the cars" Riley shrugged, and T-Dog nodded in agreement. The group stood looking at each other.

"This is a graveyard...I dont know how I feel about this" sighed Lori

"We need supplies...not like these poor bastards need them anymore" Riley said quietly. Shane sighed.

"Gather what you can, y'all"

Riley smiled at Lori, who sighed, still looking tense.

"C'mon, we'll go look for stuff along here" she said, placing a kind hand on Lori's back. Carl took Riley's hand as they wandered through the abandoned cars. "Dont look" she mumbled to him as they passed a Jeep with an entire family inside, all dead, all decaying. She, Carl, Lori, Carol and Sophia rumaged through whatever bags and suitcases they could find. Riley clambered into the back of a Hummer, digging through a hefty backpack. "Sweet" she mumbled in appreciation, tugging the bag out. "Soph, check this out!" she called, holding up a leather jacket to her chest. Sophia padded over and looked at it in awe.

"Cool!" she breathed and Riley smiled, continuing to sift through the bag. Sophia looked through some smaller bags next to her. Riley sighed, smiling down at the girl. This shouldnt be her life, stealing from the dead. But it had to be done, they had to survive one way or another.

"Riley! Sophia! Get down!" hissed Rick, gesturing behind him. Riley gasped at the sight of a walker herd just along the highway, heading straight for them. She grabbed the little girl, covering her mouth, and rolled them under the Hummer.

"Stay quiet, and stay still" she breathed, taking her hand slowly away from Sophia's mouth. She nodded, with wide eyes. Carl was alone under the next car, and Lori had Carol with her under the next. Carol let out a whimper as Lori shoved her hand over her mouth. Riley's breath caught in her throat as the feet of at least fifty walker's shuffled by the cars. _Where was Daryl?_ she panicked, then came to her senses as Sophia clung to her. He'd be fine, he wasnt a child. Riley caught Carl's eye, smiling reassuringly at the small boy. Rick glanced over at Riley as the herd passed by, thinning out. She nodded to him, still keeping a tight grip on Sophia. Riley exhaled as the last few shuffled by, loosening her grip on the kid. Sophia obviously thought this meant 'all clear' as she began to shuffle out from under the car. A nearby walker noticed, and bent down, its arms outstretched towards the girl, as she screamed as slid back under, bumping into Riley. Riley kicked out at the walker, sending it backwards. Sophia bolted from under the car, her tshirt slipping through Riley's fingers, and before Riley could do anything, she'd hopped over the rail and was gone, hot on her tail were two walkers. "SOPH!" she hissed, rolling out from under the car, but her exit was blocked by a walker, swiping its arms at her. She kicked again, just to knock it down, rolling out from the car and silently stabbing her knife into its skull. She saw Rick sprint past her over the railing and she followed, hopping over the railing with ease. She lost her footing on the other side and tumbled down the small grassy hill, landing in the dry dirt. She scarmbled to her feet and sprinted into the forest. She spotted one of the walkers that had chased Sophia, and crept up behind it, grabbing it around the throat and bringing her knife up through the back of its head. She threw the corpse to the ground and carried on running...and ran straight into Rick.

"I...I drew the walkers away from her.." he panted, leaning against a tree. "She's hiding in the creek" he gasped as Riley nodded, hopping down from the bank, straight into the creek. She looked around before looking at Rick, confused. "Under the creek bed" he panted, pointing in the direction of it. She nodded and waded through the creek.

"Soph...it's okay honey...you can come out now" she whispered as she approached the creek bed. No answer. She got a little closer, bending down. Her heart sank. "She's not here, Rick..."

Rick's face went pale.

"I told her...I told her to wait here" he gasped.

"Fuck" she hissed, grabbing Rick's hand as he helped her up the bank "Maybe she went back to the highway?"

Rick nodded and they made their way back. Sophia hadn't returned, and Riley avoided Carol's eyes, feeling incredibly guilty. Daryl wandered over to her, covered in blood. She gasped.

"Aint mine...T-Dog...he sliced his arm open...mebbe you should go look after him" he muttered, seeing Carol glaring daggers into the back of Riley's head. She swallowed hard and nodded, Daryl gave her hand a squeeze before he, Shane, Glenn and Rick went back into the woods to look for the little girl. She found T-Dog trying to wrap a bandage around his arm, and failing miserably.

"Here" she said kindly, yet quietly, reaching out and wrapping his arm for him "You were making a mess of that" she nodded to the blood on his shirt. He chuckled slightly, looking a little pale.

"Naw, you know me girl, tough as anything" he smiled and she returned it, weakly. "Hey, dont go beatin yourself up there, Riley, you aint responsible for that little girl"

"I let her go!" Riley took a step back, kicking a tyre of a car in frustration "T- she was right next to me and I fucking let her go! Her tshirt slipped through my fingers! If I had just had a better grip-"

"Hey. Stop." he put his hands on her shoulders, feeling her shake with anger. "You did what you could do in that situation, I saw you, you were straight after her."

"Carol blames me.." she muttered, looking at the ground, and T sighed.

"She will, of course she will for now, but nobody else does" he reassured her, pulling her into a quick hug. She squeezed him back.

"Thanks T" she mumbled into his chest.

**ooooooooo**

"You left my little girl alone in the woods?" gasped Carol weakly, falling back into Lori and Andrea. Daryl and Rick had re-joined the group after gutting a walker to make sure it hadnt feasted on Sophia. Riley swallowed hard as Carol turned on her.

"This is your fault" she whispered and Riley felt as if she'd been slapped. She kept her eyes on the ground, breathing shakily.

"That aint fair" Daryl's voice cut the tension "Riley did what she could to keep hold of yer kid, Sophia panicked is all, ya cant blame her for that"

Carol sighed and walked off, leaving the rest of the group in silence.

"Daryl's right" muttered Lori, rubbing Riley's arm "This isnt your fault"

"Damn well feels like it" Riley growled before stalking off, leaving the others behind. She walked up the highway, angrily stomping on the cooling tarmac. She flung herself on the ground leaning against a Trans-Am. She crossed her legs and rubbed her face with her hands, and before she could stop herself she burst into tears, racked with guilt. Carol hated her, and blamed her. If Sophia wasnt found safe, Riley's head would be on the chopping block. She shivered in the evening air as she sobbed and sniffed, not hearing Daryl's footsteps approaching. He could hear her sobs from a way away, and he frowned at the sight before him. This tough, wise cracking girl had finally broken. She sniffed, looking up at him, hastily wiping her eyes. "I'm fine" she said quickly. He sat beside her on the road, without saying a word. He lifted his arm and put it across her shoulders, as she leant into him and began to cry again, her whole body shaking. He held her against him and stroked her hair, nothing needed to be said. When she had calmed down, she pulled herself away from him, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "Thank you" she whispered and he planted a kiss to her forehead. He got to his feet, holding out his hand for her, and she took it, laughing a little as he yanked her practically off her feet. The night had fallen, and they walked back to the rest of the group, slowly. He cast a sideways smile at her before gently linking his fingers through hers.

**oooooooooo**

The next morning, after an uncomfortable night sleeping in a deck chair on the top of the RV, Riley joined the rest of the group as they all headed out to look for Sophia. Carl had found a collection of weapons in an abandoned pick up truck and he ran over to Riley as she clambered down from the RV, thrusting a machete into her hands.

"I saved the best one for you" he grinned at her, and she smiled, bending down and kissing his cheek. "ewwww!" he groaned, wiping his cheek, but still smiling. She ruffled his hair.

"So what's the plan?" she asked Rick.

"We search for my daughter. And we find her" Carol's icy voice cut across the group.

"Goes without saying, honey" Lori gently said, frowning a little at her tone. They left T and Dale at the RV as they wandered into the forest. Riley followed behind Daryl, her new weapon clutched in her hand tightly, and her shotgun slung over her shoulder, and couldnt help but notice Andrea scowling at her. She shook it off as Daryl gestured to a tent in the distance.

"You think she's in there?" she whispered to him, crouching beside him. He shrugged.

"Could be anythin' in there, only one way to know fer sure" he mumbled, signalling to the group to move closer, but slowly. He approached the tent silently, not even snapping twigs beneath his feet, darting around it to try and check inside. Rick pulled Carol forward.

"If she's in there, your voice should be the first she hears" he whispered to her, and she nodded.

"Sophia? Are you in there sweetie? Sophia...it's mommy" she said, tears audible in her voice "We're all here baby" she said meakly. Daryl slowly opened the door to the tent, and Riley saw him gag and cough, before going inside. She held her breath, her heart pounding as she approached it slowly. Daryl climbed out, shaking his head.

"She aint there...just some guy..did what Jenner said...'opted out'.." he growled, and Riley covered her mouth as the smell escaped, her stomach turning. Carol closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. The dissapointed silence was broke by the sound of church bells.

"Everyone else hear that?" gasped RIley, looking at Daryl, who nodded.

"This way" he pointed, and the group sprinted off in the direction of the noise.

"Could be Sophia ringing em" puffed Shane as they began to reach a clearing in the trees. Riley spotted the small church, squinting at it.

"It doesnt have a steeple, that cant be it" she panted as she jogged alongside Daryl and Rick. The two men and Riley rushed up the steps, taking a minute before kicking the doors open. Three walkers sat on the pews, all of them standing up and growling as the three barged in. Riley took the male at the front, slicing its head in half with her new machete, whilst Rick took the one of the left. Daryl approached the female walker from the side, making kissing noises to draw its attention, before slamming his knife into its face, stepping back hastily as it dropped to the floor. He smirked at it before sauntering up to the massive statue of Jesus at the front of the church

"Yo, JC, you takin' requests?" he growled up at it and Riley smiled a little, putting her machete back into the holster Carl had found for her. The bells rang out again and Daryl and Glenn sprinted outside, closely followed by everyone else, only to be dissapointed when they realised it was an automated bell toll on a timer, hooked up to speakers around the side of the church. Riley kicked the dirt in frustration. Carol went back inside the church with Lori whilst they all waited outside. Daylight was rapidly slipping away, and when Lori and Carol rejoined the group, Rick and Shane, as well as a very stubborn Carl insisted that they'd keep on looking.

"Stay safe kid" Riley punched Carl lightly on the arm, sticking out her tongue to him as he tried to hit her back. She shrugged her gun higher on her shoulders as Daryl lead the rest of thr group back to the RV. As they took a break, Riley jogged up to Daryl, wanting to escape the awkward silences and glares from Carol and Andrea. "Hey"

"Hey" he smiled to her "How you holdin' up?"

"Aside from the severly chilly stares" she giggled and Daryl chuckled "I'm good...you?"

"Im peachy" he grinned, turning his head to look back at the others, catching their conversation, something about prayers. He walked over to the women. "I'll tell ya what it's worth, not a damn thing. It's a waste a time all this hopin' and prayin'." he said, glancing at Carol who looked around, shocked. "We're gonna locate tha' lil gerl, and she's gonna be just fine" he said pointedly to Carol, before huffing "Am I the only one Zen aroun' here? Good Lord" he grumbled, leading them on their way again. Lori and Riley caught each other's eyes and smirked, before heading onwards. The trudged through the trees, the sun beating down on them.

Then they heard the gunshot.

**A/N sorry if this seems rushed, I just wanna hurry up and get them to the farm, where I can really play around with Daryl and Riley! Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it! xo**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 11**

"Why was it just _one _gunshot?" asked Lori, to the other panicked survivors

"Maybe they took down a walker" mumbled Glenn, shrinking as Lori glared at him

"Dont patronise me, you know as well as I do that neither Shane nor Rick would risk shooting one walker. They'd do it quietly." she hissed. Riley put her hand on Lori's shoulder.

"We should carry on heading back, it'll get dark soon" she said firmly to Lori, whose expression softened and she nodded, tightening the straps on her backpack. Daryl rolled his eyes at the women, damn drama everywhere they go. They walked in silence for about fifteen minutes, before they heard Andrea shriek. Riley looked around, spotting Andrea lying on the forest floor, a walker pinning her down. She began to run over but Daryl tugged her back as a woman on a horse seemed to appear from nowhere, knocking the walker off of Andrea with a swift swing of a baseball bat.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" she called, bringing the horse to a halt.

"I-I'm Lori" Lori gasped in shock, taking in the stranger who knew her name.

"You gotta come with me now, Rick's at my farm, there's been an accident and Carl's been shot" the woman explained quickly in a heavy country accent. Lori's knees almost gave way as she handed her backpack to Riley and clambered onto the horse.

"Hey, hey, you cant just go climbin' onto no damn horse! We don' know this woman!" Daryl yelled, waving his crossbow towards the woman. Lori glared at him.

"You're on the highway in that big traffic snarl?" the stranger asked, and Daryl nodded, still frowning. "Head down for about two miles and turn off, drive straight for five miles, look for our farm, you'll see our mailbox, take that turning, name's Greene" she explained, before giving the horse a kick to its sides, riding off with Lori clinging on for dear life. The group were left, stunned.

"Shot?" asked Riley weakly, feeling her blood run cold. Daryl took her hand in his as they emerged from the forest and back onto the highway.

"Andrea!" Dale calls, running over to her, still shaken from the walker attack. She glares at him, before storming into the RV. "I-I heard her screaming..." he muttered, Riley sighed.

"I'd leave it if I were you, Dale, she'll come around" she said gently, patting the old man's arm. He nodded weakly. "Where's Lori?" he asked, noticing her absence.

"This girl..she rode out of nowhere...on a horse! Saying Carl's been shot!" stammered Glenn

"Shot?! Whaddya mean shot?!" panic rang out in Dale's voice, Riley shrugged

"We know as much as you do, Dale"

"And you let Lori go with this woman?!" he almost shouted, frowning at everyone

"This girl knew her name, and Rick's...and Carl's" Riley reassured him "Besides, she was on that horse before we even knew what was going on, Daryl tried to talk her out of it but..man, the look she gave him.."

Dale sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Did this woman say where she was taking Lori?"

"Some farm, about eight miles from here" shrugged Riley

"Well, then can I suggest somebody takes T there as soon as possible, he needs medical treatment" Dale lead Riley over to T, who was wrapped in a blanket, shivering, the colour gone from his face.

"Oh shit" she breathed, crouching down next to him.

"Glenn, you need to take him, the rest of us will wait here until the morning" said Dale to the young man, who stared at him wide eyed.

"Yeah, we cin make some sorta sign fer Sophia before we all move out ta this...farm" agreed Daryl, looking down at T. He walked over to his bike and starting rooting through the bags on the side, before throwing Riley a bottle of pills. "Doxycycline, that's first class stuff too"

"Why the hell are you carrying around doxycycline?" she asked, emptying out two pills for T to take. Daryl shrugged.

"Merle got the clap on occasion"

Riley shivered in disgust, bringing a bottle of water to T's mouth so he could swallow the pills.

**oooooooooo**

Night drew in again, and Dale took watch on top of the RV. Riley climbed up to join him, as Carol, Daryl and Andrea tried to get some rest. Glenn and T-Dog were sleeping in the Cherokee.

"Howdy" she grunted, pulling herself up on top of the RV, and settling into a chair next to the old man. Even on top of the vehicle they could hear Carol's heartbroken sobs. "I dont know what to do"

"Not much we can do" Dale said, peering through his binoculars. "But we'll find her"

"You're sure of that? Twelve year old girl with no survival skills, alone..." Riley dropped her voice "Shes gonna be scared to death, fear takes over, can leave you even more vulnerable"

"We have to keep some faith" sighed Dale, but Riley could tell he was only thinking the same as her. "For Carol, at least"

"And Carl" Riley mumbled, staring ahead of her onto the highway. She heard someone climb out of the RV and she looked over the side. Daryl was slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. "Where you sneaking off to, Dixon?" she whispered, he peered up at her.

"Gonna go look fer Sophia, shine a light in the forest, give her somethin' to look at" he drawled.

"I'll come too, I'm just being useless here" Riley said, grabbing her shotgun and machete, clambering down the ladder. Daryl held out his hands to her as she hopped down, grabbing them.

"You kids be careful" Dale smiled at the pair, obviously smitten with each other but one too scared to make a move on the other. Oh, if he only knew what happened at the CDC...

They walked along the highway in silence, hopping over the barrier once more and heading into the woods.

"You really think we're gonna find her?" asked Riley, breaking the awkward silence.

"Sure, why wouldnt we?" he grumbled, shining the light in various directions.

"She's only 12.."

"So? I was younger than her and I got lost in the woods for nine days" Daryl grunted, pushing back a branch for her to duck under.

"Didnt anyone look for you?" she frowned at him, he shook his head.

"Naw, my ol' man was off on a bender with sum waitress, and Merle was doin' another stint in juvie. I survived on ma own eating wild berries an' wipin' ma ass wit poison oak. Nobody even noticed I was gone, I walked straight back into tha kitchen an made maself a sandwich. I wasn't no worse for wear, cept my ass itched somethin' awful"

Riley burst out laughing, covering her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles as Daryl glared at her.

"Sorry...sorry...that's not funny at all...that's a horrible story" she said, trying to keep a straight face, but failing miserably. Daryl chuckled and shoved her lightly.

"Shuddup, Jersey, you aint got no embarassin stories? What 'bout that scar on yer arm that ya tore open again, ya git that fallin' off yer pretty pink baby bike?" he teased, and her smile faded quickly, She avoided his eyes and marched on ahead. "I was kiddin.." he trailed off, shining his light in the nearby tree. Riley glanced up, her stomach turning. A walker was in the tree, a noose around it's neck and the flesh from it's legs gone. "Got bit, fever hit, world gone to shit, migh' as well quit..." Daryl read the note on the tree "Dumb bastard didnt know well enough to shoot himself in tha head" he huffed, turning his back on it. The walker snapped feebly, wriggling around. He looked at Riley, who was bent over, heaving. "Ya alrigh?"

"Trying not to puke" she mumbled, the sight of its legs almost too much for her

"Go ahead if you gotta" he mumbled, turning back around.

"Can we just talk about something else?" she pleaded, straightening up.

"Mmm...looks like the other geeks came an' ate the flesh offa his legs, poor bastard" Daryl observed, and Riley threw up what little food she had in her stomach. Daryl chuckled a little.

"Thought we were changing the subject?" she groaned and he shrugged

"Payback for laughin' at ma itchy ass" he smirked as she flipped him off. He turned around again and began to walk away from the walker.

"What, you're just gonna leave it there?" Riley asked in disbelief, wiping her mouth.

"He ain't hurtin' nobody up there" Daryl shrugged and she frowned at him "Be a waste of an arrow. C'mon, you never gave me an answer to ma question anways" he gestured for her to follow him. She sighed, not moving.

"An answer for an arrow?" she pleaded. He sighed, glaring up at the walker.

"Fine" he muttered. His expression softened as he watched Riley exhale. Maybe this was more serious than he thought.

"Fine. When I was 16, I met this guy. He was in my dad's hunting shop all the fucking time, with his dad sometimes, and other times he was on his own. He was about 21, real cute. I was young and naive and he was the only guy to ever speak to me, without calling me a dyke, or making fun of my..pudgyness. He actually wanted to get to know me. Turns out he was just coming into the shop to see me. So, we started seeing each other, on the weekends and stuff, I'd go stay at his house for a few days. Obviously, I'd tell my parents I was with my friends, and they never suspected a thing. We got really serious, really fast, and we were together for two years." Riley exhaled, shaking a little "When I turned 18, all my friends were going off to college and starting new exciting lives, and I was always stuck at my boyfriend's house, watching shitty TV on a Saturday night whilst my friends were out, doing whatever the hell they wanted. I'll admit, I got bored. I didnt wanna be the married couple at just 18. So I tried to end it, and he got all weepy, begging me not to leave him, saying he'd die without me. So I stayed. Then he started drinking, going out on a Saturday night with his friends, whilst I stayed at his, bored shitless, cleaning his fucking mess. When he'd get in, he'd get...nasty with me. Verbally. Calling me a whore, and fat, saying how he was the only guy who'd ever touch me and even then he'd have to be shitfaced to get it up.." Riley's eyes were filling with tears, Daryl stared at her, she exhaled again, her voice shaky "It went on like that for ages, I took that crap for a whole 'nother two years. And when I turned twenty, I decided that I'd had enough. I would pack my bags and be gone by the time he got home from the bar. So I did, and just as I opened the front door, he was there. He saw the bags in my hands and went ape shit, screaming and throwing things, he pushed me down and I hit my head on the coffee table" she brought her hand to the back of her head, feeling the slight bump that was still there "I must've blacked out cos I woke up...in the basement..my hands were tied and my ankles too..." tears crept down her cheeks, Daryl swallowed hard, his heart felt like it was breaking for her. "And he comes down...tells me how I'm never leaving him, I was his, and nobody would ever love me like he did...and then...and then he.."

"It's okay.." Daryl whispered, his hand on the small of her back, feeling her shake.

"He pulls out this knife and slices my arm..marking me...marking his property...and then he left me, left me to bleed out...I dont know how long I was down there when the police broke the door down...turns out the neighbours heard me scream when he cut me...they'd gotten concerned...nobody knew I was gone until then.." she sniffed "After that, I swore to myself that I'd never fall in love again...never let my guard down like that.."

"Ya loved him?!" Daryl asked in shock, the sick bastard had practically tortured her.

"I did...until I got old enough to realise it was just more that I wanted to feel...wanted..." she trembled "Wanted by somebody else...and that's why...that night at the CDC I told you I didnt know how to do this...it's because I dont, he was my first and only boyfriend and he...and then you come along and it's like I'm 16 again, I cant-" she cut herself off by bursting into tears, swaying on the spot. Daryl caught her before she fell and held her tightly to him, his face buried in her hair as she let out every single emotion in her body. He felt his own eyes burn a little, as the rage boiled up inside him. What sick motherfucker would do that to someone he claimed to love?! How could someone do that to..her? He held her until she physically couldnt cry anymore, she sniffed and pulled away from him, looking up at him.

"Ya know I'd never do anythin' like tha' to ya, righ'?" he whispered, looking into her eyes. She blinked, wiping away the tears.

"I-Daryl...it's so hard for me...I believe you, with every inch of me I believe you...but.."

"S'okay...I understand" he said softly, bringing his hand up to cup her face as he placed a soft kiss on her lips "I couldn' do tha to ya, and I wont force ya to do anythin' ya weren' comfortablt wit'...but...I care about ya...ya know? That night a' the CDC..tha' meant somethin to me, weren't just the whiskey" he admitted, still holding her face, she nodded.

"I know..me too...I'm just..scared" she admitted, resting her head against his chest "What are we doing Daryl?"

_Fallin' in love, _he wanted to answer, but he didnt. He sighed.

"I dunno, Jersey, but whatever it is...I like it"

"Me too" she whispered, bringing her face up to his and kissing him softly "Something about you, hick" she smiled weakly, he chuckled and kissed her again.

"C'mon, let's get back" he breathed as they parted, she nodded as he turned, raising his crossbow and shooting the walker right between the eyes. "Waste of an arrow" he grumbled, smiling at Riley and taking her hand. She poked her tongue out at him. "Do that again gerl and I'll bite it off" he smiled, pulling her towards him. She fit under his arm perfectly, and they walked back to the highway, cuddled together.

"Nothin'" Daryl muttered to Carol as she approached them from the RV. She blinked, sighing heavily before sloping back into the RV. Andrea sighed, her arms crossed. Dale climbed down from the RV and pulled her off to talk to her, the two hadnt spoken properly since the CDC. Glenn and T had headed to the farm, and Daryl spotted an empty car, he jerked his head towards it. "C'mon Jersey, let's git some sleep"

She nodded weakly and followed him, smiling a little as he held the door open for her. He rooted around in the trunk, pulling out a heavy blanket. He climbed into the back of the car with Riley and threw the blanket over the two of them. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep sitting up. "Lie across the seats" Daryl mumbled, shifting up against the window.

"What about you?" she whispered, frowning. He shrugged.

"Ah'll be fine, ya worry too much Jersey" he smiled at her. She sighed and laid on her back, resting her head in his lap.

"Thank you" she whispered, looking up at him. He was chewing on his thumb, looking out of the window, but he stopped to look down at her.

"Shut up and go ta sleep" he said, but he was smiling as he said it. She yawned and closed her eyes, doing as she was told. He watched her as she slept, stroking her hair. His stomach knotted as his gaze fell upon the scar on her arm. He gently ran his thumb along it, sucking in a breath as she whimpered gently in her sleep. He took his hand away and pressed a soft kiss to her temple, before leaning against the cold car window and shutting his eyes, praying for some damn sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**sarabear91 thank you so much for your review, I'm so glad you like Riley! I wasnt sure about her when I first started writing, but now I've pretty much fallen in love with her. Thanks again, you're awesome! xo**

**This chapter will have some smut in it, please dont read if you're offended by such content!**

**Chapter 12**

"Think she'll see this?" asked Riley, straightening up. She'd been stood on the hood of a car, spray paint can in hand, crouching over and spraying a note for Sophia.

**SOPHIA STAY HERE, WE WILL COME EVERY DAY**

"Of course she will, kid aint blind" said Daryl, standing at the front of the car with his arms crossed, squinting in the sunlight. He held out his hand for Riley as she jumped down from the bonnet. Carol arranged a variety of food and drinks on the car, and sighed sadly as she glanced at the sign. "She'll come ba'" Daryl assured Carol. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you" she whispered, before heading into the RV.

"Come on, Jersey" Daryl jerked his head towards the RV. Riley picked up her backpack and shrugged it onto her shoulder, before stepping onto the vehicle. Andrea and Carol sat around the small table, Daryl sat in the passenger seat next to Dale, and Riley sat in the walkway, leaning against the tiny bathroom door as they began to drive to the farm. The journey was awkward and silent, and Riley could feel Carol's eyes on her, still full of blame. Dale cleared his throat.

"So, Riley, you never told us how you ended up in Georgia?" he asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"Um, well, after...after everything at home.." she mumbled, swallowing hard "I just packed a few bags and drove outta Jersey"

"Why Georgia though?" asked Andrea, still trying to put her gun together.

"Well, I thought that the deep south wouldnt be affected by this shit" Riley said, a small laugh escaping from her "How wrong was I? Plus I'd heard on the radio something about Fort Benning...every other 'safe haven' I'd driven to was a dead end, and I figured the further I got from the east coast, the more chance I'd have at finding a place that wasnt fucked. But my car broke down on one of the highways just outside Atlanta and I had no choice but to walk...I grabbed essentials from my car, shoved it in my bag and left the rest. I walked for fucking forever, mustve been at least a few days, I slept in trees to avoid walkers at Daryl and Merle found me in the woods, and the rest is history" she shrugged. She looked at Andrea "You were on a road trip right?"

"Yeah...with Amy" Andrea whispered, and Riley nodded, not saying a word. She stood up off the floor and stretched. She caught sight of a mailbox, and opened the window, leaning out of the RV.

"Dale!" she banged on the side of the RV, causing the old man to bring it to a slow crawl so she could read. "This is their mailbox...must be up there!" she said, pointing up the road. She pulled herself back into the RV, and walked up to the two men at the front. As they crawled up the winding road, she spotted the farmhouse in the distance, cows were grazing over the fields. it was kind of pretty, for somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Dale stopped just out the front of the house and Riley waved a little to Glenn, T-Dog and Shane, who were stood on the porch with the girl from the woods and an old man, with white hair. RIley stepped off the RV and walked over to the familiar faces, hugging Glenn and T-Dog.

"How's Carl? And your arm?" she asked, looking at T-Dog.

"The boy will be fine, he's resting" said the old man, softly, extending his hand "Hershel Greene"

"Riley Addams" she smiled, shaking it "Thank you so much for taking care of Carl and T"

"We weren't exactly gonna turn them away" said the girl "I'm Maggie, sorry for almost knockin' ya over with my horse out there"

Riley shook the girl's hand and laughed a little

"No problem, luckily Daryl had lighting quick reactions"

"Where's Rick?" grunted Daryl, eyeing the strangers. Hershel frowned a little at his rudeness.

"They're with their son, they needn't be disturbed" Hershel said firmly "You can park your vehicle over there, and set up your camp" he pointed to ground away from the house that was sheltered by trees.

"Thank you" said Riley, again, glaring at Daryl, as they moved their stuff over to their new 'home'.

"Wha'?" he growled at her as he helped her set up her tent.

"That was rude, the man's given us a safe place to sleep and saved Carl's life, you didnt have to be so harsh" she mumbled.

"We don' know these people, just cuz the ol' man fished a bullet outta the kid don' mean he's a saint" Daryl spat, Riley shook her head, laughing a little "Wha' now?!"

"Nothing" she giggled "You're cute when you're all riled up"

Daryl flushed

"I aint cute, woman" he grumbled, but smiled a little at her.

"Naw, cuz you're a man, an' men aint cute, men are manly!" she dralwed in her best Southern accent, flexing her arms and puffing her chest out. Daryl rolled his eyes, smiling, as she followed him over to where his tent was set up. Dale chuckled as he watched Riley follow Daryl, copying his walk, with her chest still puffed out.

"Will ya stop?" Daryl chuckled at her as she walked around in a circle by his tent, still copying his walk as he threw his bag into his tent. She ignored him and carried on.

"Now that y'all are settled, would ya mind helpin' us?" Maggie's voice made Riley immediatly drop her arms and deflate her chest as she spun around to see the pretty woman stood there, her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised at Riley. Riley blushed a deep red and Maggie chuckled. "Y'all are a cute couple" she smiled, looking at Daryl.

"We aint a couple" he immediatly said, and regretted it instantly as he looked at Riley. She hadn't confirmed anything between them, and he didn't want to automatically put a label on them in case she didn't want him no more. She felt like she'd been kicked in the chest, what was all that in the woods last night? Had he changed his mind? Was he just after a fuck buddy? He seemed to like her, and now...? Riley's brow furrowed a little before she gave a fake, but very convincing laugh.

"We get that all the time! Wonder why..." she said quietly, glancing at Daryl who looked a little confused himself. She then followed Maggie up to the house, without saying another word to Daryl.

"I didnt mean to-" Maggie started

"Meh, it's fine! We're just...friends" Riley sighed, catching sight of Glenn on the porch, watching every move Maggie made "Seems like our Glenn likes the look of you" she smiled and Maggie blushed.

"Lord, no" she shook her head, smiling a little. Shane walked over to Riley, and she noticed he was limping.

"Shane?! What happened to your hair?" she gasped at his new buzzcut, he ran his hand over his head in a frustrated manner.

"Wanted a change" he grumbled. He then went on to explain about his trip to the school with a man called Otis, who was a member of Maggie's family. Otis never made it back. Riley watched Shane as he told his story, and something about his story, the way he told it, didnt sit right with her.

"I'm sorry for your loss" she said to Maggie, whose eyes had welled up. She shook her head and walked into the house.

**ooooooooo**

After a funeral service for Otis, Maggie brought out a map to assist the group in the search for Sophia. Rick had left his son's bedside for a walk outside, although he still looked a little wobbly on his feet

"Daddy says he's not allowing Shane to leave because of his ankle, and Rick's given Carl three units of blood, he can barely move from his chair" Maggie said, with a look towards Rick, as she spread the map over the bonnet of the car that Glenn and T-Dog drove to the farm. Rick sighed, feeling useless.

"Ah'll go" said Daryl and Riley looked at him.

"I'll come to" she said "I-"

"No, Riley we need you here, we should get everybody trained up with guns" cut in Shane.

"I'd prefer it if you didnt carry guns on my property" Hershel walked over to the group, looking at Shane who scowled at the old man, opening his mouth to argue.

"We have to respect his wishes, we are on his land" hissed Rick to Shane "We're guests"

Riley frowned as Maggie looked at her, eyeing the shotgun slung over Riley's shoulders. Shane handed over his gun to Hershel, although he wasnt happy about it, and Andrea did the same. Everyone looked at Riley and she sighed, handing over her gun. Hershel then glanced over at Dale, who clutched his rifle tightly. Rick managed to negotiate that Dale could keep his gun and serve as lookout on the top of the RV. Hershel agreed, begrudgingly. Riley and Daryl broke away from the group as he prepared to look for the little girl.

"You dont have to go alone, please...let me come with you..I know I haven't been the most useful hunting partner, but it's my fault that Sophia is out there..I want to help, please" she begged, grabbing hold of his arm. She didnt care about how he'd blew them off earlier, she cared about finding that little girl and bringing her back safely. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Riley.." she noted the use of her real name, and not his nickname for her "I wor' better alone...'sides, if I run into walkers, I only gotta worry about me and not ya too"

"You dont have to worry about me, I can handle myself"

He snorted and she glared at him as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder. "Please." she asked one last time. He sighed again, frowning.

"Fine, but you stay close ta me, none o' this laggin' behind bullshit that cost me ma deer las' time" he warned and she nodded. "You go' ya knife this time?"

She bent down and pulled it from her boot. He nodded. "Git ya bat too" he said gruffly, he wasnt taking any chances. She ran over to her tent, figuring she could also use a change of clothes. She peeled off her clothes she'd been wearing for the last two days, and pulled on some baggy kahki cargo pants and a black racerback vest top. She tightened her boots, tucking the loose legs on her pants into them, and found her bat, twirling it around in her hands.

"I'm going with Daryl" she said to Andrea, who was sat at a picnic table with Shane, cleaning their guns. She nodded.

"Be safe" she said and Riley nodded, smiling. She turned and jogged back over to Daryl, who was already making his way towards the woods. When they were in the shelter of the trees, he laced his fingers through hers gently. She frowned a little, looking down at his hand, but she didnt pull away.

"You-" she started but he cut her off by kissing her roughly, his tongue tracing her lips. She sighed, opening her mouth for him as he gently pushed her up against a tree, deepening the kiss. He broke away, leaving her gasping "Mmmwhat?"

"Yer stubborn as hell, ya know tha'?" he growled, his eyes darkening as he looked her over "Was plannin' to come on ma own, and ya nagged and nagged...jist can't say no to ya, woman" his forehead rested against hers as he eyed her hungrily. She smiled a little and pushed her chest into his, he groaned. "We shuld'nt...not before lookin'...be too tired"

"You plan on wearing me out, Mr Dixon?" she smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. She ran a hand down his chest, grasping his erection through his jeans, making him groan. She rubbed him gently, standing on her tip toes to whisper in his ear "Maybe _I _plan on wearing _you_ out" she grinned, licking the shell of his ear, and then nibbling on his lobe. She then pushed him off of her and continued to walk into the forest. She grinned to herself, if they weren't a couple as he'd insisted, she didnt have to feel bad about leaving him with blue balls. He stood there, wide eyed as he watched her walk away.

"Damn woman's gonna kill me, guess ah deserved tha" he grunted, re-adjusting himself before jogging after her.

**ooooooooo**

"SOPHIA!" Daryl bellowed as they came out of the abandoned farm house they'd discovered. They'd found a closet with a makeshift bed in it, and a half eaten tin of sardines. The closet was only big enough for someone of Sophia's size to fit in, even though Riley wasn't much taller, her, as Daryl had so kindly put it, 'fine ass an' boobs git in tha way'. She stood in the doorway of the house as Daryl paced the perimeter, just to double check. She watched as he walked over to some bushes around the front on the house. He bent down and she frowned, unable to see what he was doing. He got up and turned around, two white flowers in his hands. She walked over to him, inspecting them.

"Cherokee roses" she smiled "They're my favourite"

"Ya know tha story?" Daryl asked and she nodded

"My dad told me all sorts" she smiled as he tucked one in her hair. She looked up at him, blushing a little as he bent down to kiss her softly.

"She was here" he said firmly, tucking the other flower under the strap of his crossbow. "Ah know it"

"You believe in the story?" she asked as they began to walk back to the farm , the daylight was slipping away fast, and they couldnt do anymore today, the bed in the house was evidence enough for Daryl that Sophia was still alive.

"I aint stupid enough to believe there's flowers bloomin' for ma brother, but I believe this one was fer Sophia" he gestured to the one on his shoulder.

"And mine?" asked Riley, he shrugged.

"Tha' one too, but it looks better in ya hair than on tha bush" he smiled "Makes ya even more beautiful"

Riley blushed again, and took his hand, kissing his sweaty shoulder. She was still confused about them, but she pushed it to the back of her mind for now. They made it back to the farm, heading straight to the RV, where Carol had busied herself with making it look nice for Sophia. Daryl placed the rose in an empty beer bottle and placed it on the table. Riley felt a slight pang of jealousy as she watched him explain the story to Carol, who watched Daryl intently. Her eyes flickered to Riley the rose in her hair and then back to Daryl, who shifted uncomfortably in the silence as he finished.

"Thank you" she whispered through tears and Daryl nodded, him and Riley exiting the RV.

"That was nice, she needed to hear that" she smiled to him, placing a hand on his arm as they walked over to his tent, the night had fallen and it was starting to get cold. She shivered. "Well, I'm gonna..get to bed" she said, nodding towards her tent as he started to walk into his. He turned around and grabbed her arm, pulling her in.

"You aint goin' nowhere baby" he growled, and Riley felt her knees turn to jelly as he kissed her roughly again, his tongue delving deep into her mouth. She moaned as he kissed her neck roughly, his stubble rubbing against her soft skin. He sucked on her pulse point and she moaned a little louder. He brought his hand up and covered her mouth. "Ya gonna have ta be quiet baby, even tho' tha' might be hard" he grinned up at her, a cocky look in his eye. He laid her down on his bed, stripping off his shirt and undoing his belt. He then untied her boots, pulling them and her socks off her feet and placing them on the ground. He ran his hands up her legs slowly, unbuttoning her pants, and sliding them off, groaning at the little black panties she had on. He bent down and mouthed at her clit through her panties, her back arched and she gasped as he rubbed her through her underwear. She whined a little as he brought his face up to hers, reaching his hands under the hem of her tank and pulling it off completely. He kissed her again, grunting as she nibbled on his bottom lip softly, god he loved that. He reached around and unclasped her bra, throwing it aside and immediatly attatched his mouth to her nipple, lapping at it with his tongue whilst his other hand travelled down her body, and into her panties, he brought his mouth back up to hers to muffle the moans that escaped her as he roughly pushed two fingers into her slick opening, curving them to find that special spot. Riley groaned against his mouth, clawing at Daryl's back as he continued to torture her with his expert fingers. Daryl moved his thumb to rub her clit softly once, twice and she shuddered, coming hard around his fingers. He stopped kissing her and drew his hands out from her underwear, sucking on his fingers. "Ya taste amazin'" he breathed as she gasped, recovering from her orgasm. She sat up, pulling his face to hers and kissing him, hard, tasting herself on his tongue. She reached down between them and undid his jeans with one hand, tugging them down. Once his jeans were off, she grabbed his shoulders and threw him on his back on the bed. He didnt have time to react before she had his underwear down around his ankles and she was hovering above his painfully hard cock.

"I can be dominant too" she grinned wickedly, before slowly sinking down on him, watching his face as she took him, inch by inch. When he was fully inside her, his head lolled back and his eyes closed. She began to move slowly, _payback's a bitch_, she thought as she teased him with her slow riding.

"C'mon" he breathed, moving his hands to her hips. She slapped them away and ground down onto him, her breath hitching in her throat. She loved being on top. She began to move her hips faster, her nails clawing down his chest "Fuuuuck" he groaned as she rode him hard. "Riley.."

"Mmm, yes?" she moaned in response, she bent down to kiss him hard. His hands clasped her ass and he pulled her hips down onto him more, moving her how he wanted, and how she needed. "Daryl..."

"Gonna cum fer me?" he growled, nipping at her collarbone, then her neck. She bit her lip and whimpered "Come on baby...I wanna feel ya cum" he gripped her ass even tigher as he felt her clench around him. He pushed her up, still holding her ass "I wanna see ya too" he moaned as he looked at her, a single bead of sweat running between her breasts as she ground down onto him harder, he knew she was close.

"Daryl..I'm gonna" she gasped

"Yeah, ya are" he grinned as he sat up and kiss her deeply to cover her screams as she came. He moaned at the feeling of her tightening around him. He then flipped her over, so she was on all fours and didnt hesitate before slamming into her from behind, his hands gripping her hips so tight she knew there'd be bruises. Riley screamed into his pillow as he fucked her hard. This wasn't like the time at the CDC, this was pure, animalistic sex. What they both needed. "Christ.." he groaned as she looked over her shoulder at him, controlling her screams and moans.

"Cum for me Daryl" she panted, not breaking eye contact with him. His breath caught in his throat and he thrust into her once more, groaning as he came. Riley's knees gave out from underneath her and they both fell onto the blankets, panting and sweaty. "Holy shit"

"Damn righ'" Daryl panted, rolling onto his back. "I aint never had a girl ride me like tha' before"

"Us Jersey girls know how to work it" she grinned, wiggling her ass against his side. He rolled over and gave it a sharp slap, making her moan a little and giggle. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ya like tha'?" he asked, rubbing his hand on her ass, soothing the burning of his slap. She smirked at him.

"Maybe"

Daryl thought he'd died and gone ta heaven.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 13**

Riley woke up the next morning sore and exhausted, but it had been worth it. It was very early, the sun was only just rising, and she yawned, stretching. Daryl sighed in his sleep, rolling over to face the other way. She smiled, getting out of their bundle of blankets and putting her clothes on. She bent over and kissed Daryl gently on the forehead before creeping out of his tent. It was probably best that no-one knew she was there, save the awkward questions.

"Riley?"

_Shit._

She turned in the direction of Dale's voice. He was on top the RV, in his beach chair, a mug of coffee in his hand. She could feel her self heating up with embarassment.

"Uh, morning Dale" she waved sheepishly. "There's no point in me pretending is there?" she sighed and the older man shook his head, smiling a little.

"All I can say is that I hope you two are being careful, the last thing we need is an unplanned pregnancy" he said, reaching his hand out to Riley as she climbed onto the top of the RV.

"Yes Dad" she mocked, giving him a cheeky salute. Dale chuckled, casting his eyes back over to the sunrise. "it's so quiet.." she took a seat next to him and looked out over the fields.

"It's almost like the world never ended" he sighed, sipping his coffee. "Tell me something, Riley"

"Anything" she said, looking at him.

"Do you love him?" asked Dale, looking straight back at her. She frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"It's not a trick question, sweetheart, just an old man sticking his nose in someone's business. I care about you, kid, and I dont want to see you get hurt." Dale reached out and patted her hand. She brought her other hand to her mouth and began to chew on her thumb nail. He let her think for a minute "I understand that you're scared."

"Huh?" she asked

"Falling in love can be a scary thing" he shrugged, she chuckled slightly.

"Dale, you dont even know the half of it" she mumbled, still destroying her thumb nail.

"So tell me" he urged her, and she sighed, giving in and telling him the same shit she'd told Daryl the other night.

"And now...I...I think I'm in love with him, Dale..but, I dont wanna let my guard down and be that girl that's dependant on her guy, especially not now. I couldnt take it if anything happened to him. But...I just get the feeling he doesnt feel that way anyway, I mean, I thought he did, the other night in the woods, but when Maggie asked if we were a couple he immediatly said no.. so I guess for now...we're just..fooling around, no feelings...at least for him." she said, her head hanging.

Daryl emerged out of his tent just to hear the last part of her sentence. His heart sunk. So she didnt have any feelings for him...it was just sex. Of course. Dixon's werent relationship material, he should've known from the start.

**ooooooooooo**

Everyone else started to wake up and emerge from their tents when the sun was up, and Rick had gathered Riley, Shane, Daryl, Andrea, and T-Dog around the map to prepare a search grid. Riley noticed that Hershel's youngest daughter Beth, and her boyfriend Jimmy were hanging around the group, nervously coming forward to offer their help, the kids couldnt have been older than 17, and Riley couldnt imagine Hershel being okay with them risking their necks for a little girl they barely knew, but they assured Rick that it was okay.

"Well, aint no one useful on this search unless they're trained with a weapon" says Shane gruffly, as Otis' wife Patricia offered her help too.

"They can come with me and T-Dog" suggested Andrea and Jimmy grinned at Beth, squeezing her hand. Riley swallowed, realising that Daryl hadn't said one word to her this morning, not even to grumble at her for sneaking out on him this morning. She caught his eye over the map and smiled at him, and felt sick as he completely ignored her.

"I'mma borrow a horse...look for Sophia long the ridge, migh' have a betta chance of seein' her" he growled, avoiding Riley's eyes.

"Maybe today will be the day you see your Chupacabra" joked T-Dog and Jimmy laughed.

"The hell you brayin' at boy?" spat Daryl and Jimmy's smile vanished.

"You believe in a bloodsucking dog?" asked Rick, almost in disbelief, Daryl scowled at him.

"You believe in dead people walkin' aroun'?" he said darkly, before stomping off towards the barn where the horses were kept. RIley sighed, thinking it best to leave him for the minute. There were already a lot of people going into the woods to search, so she offered to stay at camp, on guard. Whilst everyone was gathering their things ready to leave, Riley spotted Daryl leading a horse away from the barn, stopping to make some adjustments to the saddle. She ran over.

"Shouldnt you ask before taking her?" she asked him, stroking the horse. Nothing. "Hey, you there?" she ducked under the horse and waved a hand in his face.

"Leave me be" he growled and Riley frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"Don't cha listen woman! I said leave me be!" he snapped, leading the horse onwards. She stomped after him.

"Yeah I heard you perfectly, I just wanna know why? You havent said a word to me since last night? Is it cos I left? Cos I was just making it easier for us-"

"There aint no us!" Daryl roared, turning on her, making her jump a little. "There aint never been, what the hell did you thin' this was?"

"I..I never thought..." she said quietly, and he scoffed before she could finish talking.

"Yeah tha's bout righ'"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" she snapped, standing toe to toe with him.

"I hear' you talkin' to the ol' man, I know exactly wha' you wanted me for" he glared at her "Jus' a quick fuck" She laughed in disbelief

"Oh my god, did you even LISTEN to what I said? The whole thing?"

"I hear' enuff"

"Obviously."

"Wha's tha' supposed to mean?" he towered over her but she didnt back down. She glared at him, shaking her head.

"You know what Daryl, forget it. It doesn't matter. You hear what you wanna hear" she said quietly. The fact that she wasn't yelling made Daryl realise that he'd blown it, but still he couldnt stop, he was hurting and he wanted her to know it. He grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him.

"Lissen to me, gerl. Ya thin' you can prance aroun' here, knowin' full well you got me by the balls and then jus' throw me away? Well I got news for ya, princess, mebbe I was only afta a quick fuck too. You aint been nothin' but a pain in my ass since the day I found ya in the woods, so wha' makes ya think I'd wanna be with ya, huh? Get it outta yer head, the worl's different now, we aint gonna get married, have three kids an a fuckin' dog an' live happily eva afta, I never wan'ed tha' shit before and I sure as hell don't want it now, 'specially wi' you!" he yelled. She said nothing. She wrenched her arm from his grip and took a step back, glaring at him, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you."

"Wha'?!" he spat

"I said thank you. Thank you for proving to me that you're just like every other fucking guy out there. Thank you for admitting that you used me, and thank you for fucking toying with my god damn heart. You're just as much an asshole as your brother. Don't come near me again." she spat, turning on her heel and heading back towards camp. Daryl's chest was heaving and his heart sank. He'd really messed up. But no, fuck her, he heard it himself, she was only after his dick. Spinning him tha' story bout her ex just to make him feel sorry for her...

"Fuck ya too" he growled, climbing up on the horse and encouraged it to move forward.

**ooooooooooo**

Riley climbed up onto the RV, not saying a word to anybody, after spending hours in her tent, crying her eyes out, curled up in a ball on the plastic floor. It was late afternoon now, the sun still beating down on them from the sky, and the rest of the group had given up their search, deciding they needed a better plan because they were just going round in circles. Andrea stood on top of the RV, Dale's rifle in her arms, and his binoculars around her neck, keeping watch over the fields. She jumped at the sound of the younger woman climbing up. She watched as Riley slumped in her chair, staring out ahead of her.

"Hey" said Andrea carefully, Riley looked pissed. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Why do men think they're always right?" Riley vented, throwing her arms in the air. "And why, please answer me this, _why_ do they think it's okay to fuck with your head?"

"Daryl?" asked Andrea gently, and Riley nodded, sinking further into her chair and destroying her thumb nail again.

"Fucking asshole" she muttered, it was muffled due to her thumb. "He caught the complete wrong end of a conversation between me and Dale and now...pfft" she blew a raspberry, flinging her arms out to indicate that this was it for them. "He completely tore me a new one"

"Yeah, but I bet you tore him one back" Andrea nudged her friend with her elbow, rousing a small smile from Riley.

"I did" she admitted. "Said he was just like Merle"

"Ouch" winced Andrea.

"Mmm. He deserved it, fucking bastard. Even during the Apocalypse my love life still turns to shit. There's no hope for me, is there?"

Andrea laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh come on, you know if he came back and apologised to you, this would all be forgotten" she said, looking at Riley.

"Yeah maybe...if he knew how to apologise." hissed Riley "But, I know he's probably never said the 's' word in his life, so I won't hold my breath. I wont mope, I promise, I'll just spend all the spare time I have now looking for Sophia." Riley sat up in her chair, as Andrea laughed.

"Try all you want to convince me that you don't care Riley, I've seen the way you look at him. You're head over heels. And he is with you."

"Shut up" Riley rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Really? Have you seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no-one else is watching? Have you seen how he tenses up every time you interact with another guy?"

"No...I guess not..." Riley sighed, standing up and stretching, before walking over to the ladder.

"Exactly." Andrea smirked. "He'll come around, don't worry...and if he doesn't, well, T's available" she snorted with laughter as RIley flipped her off. Andrea turned away from Riley, facing out over the fields again, suddenly bringing the binoculars up to her eyes. "Walker! We got a walker!" she yelled, even though the sun was in her eyes, she could see it, limping out of the woods, covered in blood and dirt. Riley hopped onto the grass and brought a hand up to her eyes,squinting at the small figure in the distance.

"You're sure?" Riley strained her eyes. Andrea brought the rifle up to eye level, aiming down the sight.

"Andrea, Hershel said no guns, only Dale can fire it!" Riley called up

"I bet I can nail it from here" Andrea grinned, lying down on the RV to avoid the sun.

"Andrea please!" Riley begged

"Back off, Riley" she snapped and Riley sighed, jogging out a little bit ahead of the RV whilst Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn sprinted towards the walker, guns in tow. Riley moved a little bit ahead, squinting hard. She watched as the men surrounded the walker, but none of them shot. "Andrea dont!" she yelled as Andrea flicked the saftey off and fired. The walker went down and Andrea celebrated quietly.

"NOOOOO!" Rick yelled, as he and Shane picked up the body. Riley ran forward to see what the hell was going on. Her blood ran cold.

Andrea had shot Daryl.

In the head.

_Daryl._

"DARYL!" she screamed, sprinting over to Shane and Rick. Daryl was filthy, covered in mud...and blood that was coming from a wound on his side...and now his head. "Is he-"

"Unconscious, the bullet scraped him" Rick assured Riley as they dragged Daryl towards the house.

"Oh my god, oh my god" she walked alongside Shane "You're gonna be okay..you're gonna be okay..please.." she whispered to him, placing a kiss on Daryl's dirty hand that hung over Shane's shoulder.

"Oh my god!" cried Andrea, running over "Is he dead?"

"No, just out" said Glenn, looking at Riley, who was glaring at Andrea, he shoved T-Dog, who watched her as well, cautiously.

"Riley I'm so-" Andrea's apology was cut off by Riley's fist flying into her face. T and Glenn rushed forward to pull Riley off of a now bleeding Andrea.

"WHAT THE FUCK'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHOOT!" Riley yelled, struggling and kicking against the men that held her.

"Riley, chill, he's fine" Glenn reassured her, struggling to hold her back. RIley went limp, sobbing into Glenn's tshirt.

"Take her to the house" Dale said to Glenn, as he helped Andrea to her feet.

"I dont need escourts" Riley sniffed and sprinted over to the house. She ran in, just to see Rick and Shane take Daryl into a room upstairs. She ran up the stairs, seeing Daryl lying on the bed, limp and pale, and stepped into the room "Daryl..." she gasped, Hershel and Maggie were seeing to him.

"Come on sweetheart" whispered Shane, trying to pull her from the room.

"No!" she said through gritted teeth, desperate to reach Daryl. Rick grabbed her other arm and the men lifted her from the room. "Rick..please.."

"Hershel needs space to patch him up, an arrow went through his side, as well at the bullet wound" Rick said gently, and Riley felt her knees give out. The men lowered her to the floor, and she shuffled along, leaning her back against the wall, directly facing the now closed bedroom door.

"I'm staying here" she breathed, and Rick and Shane didn't aruge.

And she stayed. And she waited. She sat, she laid down, she stood up. She was pacing the floor furiously when Maggie came out of the room.

"How is he?" Riley asked before Maggie had even shut the door.

"He's fine, honey, he's still passed out, Daddy wants to stay with him until he wakes up, just to check him over" Maggie rubbed Riley's arm gently.

"Thank you" RIley whispered, as Maggie pulled her into a hug.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked gently, and Riley shook her head.

"I'm fine, I'm just gonna stay here" she said, and resumed her pacing. Patricia brought her some juice, but it remained untouched on the floor as she walked up and down the hallway. It was dark when Hershel and Patricia came out of the room.

"He's awake" smiled Hershel, patting the young woman's hand.

"Thank you" she whispered again, hugging him tightly.

"He's been asking for you" said Patricia, kindly "Non stop since he woke up"

"Oh" Riley squeaked. Hershel and Patricia left her at the bedroom door, and she twisted the knob slowly and crept in. She let out a strangled sob at the sight of Daryl. He had a bandage around his middle, and one around his head that had some blood on it. He was pale as death, but at least he wasnt covered in dirt anymore. She closed the door behind her, and sat in the chair by the window. He opened his eyes, he mustve drifted back off to sleep briefly. She smiled weakly at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like ah been shot in the head and took an arrow to ma side" he groaned and she laughed through her tears.

"You look like shit" she mumbled and he chuckled slightly, trying to sit up and wincing in pain, she rushed to his bedside, helping him lie down "Dont...you've got stitches"

He grunted but didnt argue.

"You should rest..., I'll get Hershel to bring you some food or something" she said quietly, before reaching for the door handle.

"Don' go" he mumbled, rolling over to look at her. "Stay...please..c'mere"

She didnt doubt that was the first time he'd ever said that word, and she couldve sworn she saw tears in his eyes. Without saying a word she took her hand away from the door, kicked off her shoes and laid down beside him, on her side, facing him. "Ah'm sorry" he whispered, bringing his hand up to her face, wiping away a tear that escaped. "Ah really am...I shouldn't a said those things to ya...I..I didnt mean 'em...I'm an asshole"

"Yeah you are" she whispered back "But it's okay, I guess I can understand what you mustv'e thought..." she mumbled, before bursting into tears. He wrapped her in his arms the best he could, and let her cry into his chest, he stroked her hair. "You scared the shit out of me" she hiccuped "I thought...I thought you were dead"

"Aint nobody can kill a Dixon but a Dixon" he tilted her chin up with his finger and she smiled.

"I punched her" she said and Daryl chuckled

"Tha's ma gerl" he said, smiling. Riley looked up at him.

"Your girl?" she frowned and he swallowed. "Like..._girlfriend_?"

"Yeah...if ya still wan' me afta everythin' I said...listen.." he pushed the hair from her eyes and looked straight into her baby blue eyes. "When ah was in tha' forest, arrow stickin' outta ma side, as good as dead...all I coul' think abou' was you, I saw ya, ya and Merle...ya were there, right wi' me and you bent down and kissed me...made me git back up" he swallowed, harder this time "And tha's when I realised...I love you. I aint never said it to no-one before and at firs' ah didnt even think it was love but...it is, ah know it is. I never though about kids and marriage an' all tha' before-"

"You said" she mumbled

"Yeah ah know" he avoided her eyes for a moment "Bu', truth is..since I met ya it's all I bin thinkin' about, bein' wit' ya, havin' a family...it took an arrow goin' through me to make me realise it..but ah do..I really love ya, Jersey...and I'm sorry"

She smiled at him, for the first time, he'd opened up to her, she'd seen the real Daryl Dixon. it made him uncomfortable, but he still did it. She kissed his lips softly.

"I love you too you stupid redneck"

**oooooooooooooo**

Carol opened the door to the room where Daryl was resting. She crept in and her heart sank at the sight before her. Riley was curled up on the bed, facing the window, fully clothes but asleep. And Daryl was curled around her, stroking her arm softly, his face buried in her hair. He had no shirt on, the rest of him covered with the bedsheet. He turned over a little as she came in, noticing it was her, and quickly covered himself up.

"I..I brought you some food, thought you might be hungry" she smiled softly. He eyed the tray and grunted in response. Carol bent down and kissed him on the head, he flinched away from her.

"Careful...I got stiches" he mumbled and she sighed.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did...You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did for her in his whole life" she smiled down at him as he turned back over, tightening his grip on Riley.

"I didn't do nothin' that Rick or Shane wouldn't do" he grumbled

"I know...you're every bit as good as them...every bit" Carol assured him, before leaving the room. Daryl sighed, wrapping his arm around RIley's waist, as she breathed deeply and evenly. He drifted back off to sleep, still holding her close.

**oooooooooooooooo**

Riley awoke the next morning, sunlight streaming through the window. She rolled over and sat up when she realised Daryl wasn't in bed. She jumped off the bed and tied her shoes back on, opening the bedroom door, poking her head out.

"Daryl?" she called softly, just as Patricia was coming up the stairs with a tray and two glasses of juice.

"He's in the bathroom, sweetheart, felt well enough to take a shower." she smiled "I brought you two breakfast" she held upthe tray to Riley, who took it from her, smiling.

"Thank you, Patricia...we appreciate it" Riley set the tray down on the nightstand, the older woman gave her a kind smile before heading back downstairs. Riley sat back down on the bed, cross legged, waiting for Daryl to return. She picked at a stray thread of her cargo pants, her head shooting up as Daryl closed the bedroom door. She smiled at him, he was dressed in his usual, sleeveless plaid shirt and a pair of worn cargo pants.

"Hey" she breathed, unable to stop looking at him. He smiled at her, pulling her up so she was face to face with him.

"Mornin'" he whispered before kissing her softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, glancing at the stitches on his head. She placed a soft kiss just underneath the stitches.

"How are you feeling?"

"Aint as bad today" he drawled, rubbing his nose against hers "Yer here aint ya? Makes it all alrigh'"

"You're cute" Riley smiled, tapping her finger on his nose before sitting back down on the bed.

"I aint" he smiled, sitting next to her and taking the plate she offered him. After they were done eating, Darylhad made it clear that he no longer wanted to stay in the bedroom, so they took a slow walk outside, Riley's eyes on Daryl the whole time. "Riley, I aint gonna break"

"You had an arrow in you, excuse me for not wanting you to get hurt again" she frowned, he shook his head laughing a little, lacing their fingers together. "And you're not going out alone again"

"Christ woman, you aint my ma" they walked over to Daryl's tent, and Riley headed in, making sure that the bed was suitable enough for Daryl to lie on. "Jesus, Jersey..I can take care of maself"

"Obviously" she raised an eyebrow at him and he gave up. She straightened out the blankets on the bed. "Lie down." she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am" he smirked, lying down on the bed, his arms behind his head. "Ya gonna take care o' me?" he raised his eyebrows in a seductive way. She sighed, shaking her head, sitting down on the floor next to the bed.

"Yes, but not in that way" she laughed, punching his arm gently.

"Aw c'mon, I'm injured...an' vulnerable...you coul' just..take advantage o' me"

"Daryl shut up, we're not having sex whilst you have a hole in your side"

"It's stitched up!"

"Jesus Christ" Riley sighed, throwing an old cami top at him. Andrea poked her head through the tent, Riley noticed a slight black eye and her nose looked a little swollen still.

"Hi.." she muttered, Riley sighed.

"Hi Andrea...look I'm so-"

"Dont, Riley, you dont need to apologise, I understand why you flipped...I'm the one who needs to apologise" she held out a book to Daryl, who took it and flicked through it.

"Wha', no pictures?" he smirked and Andrea smiled a little.

"Daryl, I'm so sorry"

"Nah, s'okay, you were protectin' tha group, we're good" he looked at her and she smiled in relief, turning to leave the tent. "But hey, shoot me again, and ya best pray ah'm dead" he warned, although he was joking, he kept a straight face. Andrea smiled again at him, then at Riley, before exiting the tent. "Man, remin' me neva to piss ya off again" he chuckled

"Yeah, I got a pretty hard punch" she giggled, standing up and kissing his head. "I'm gonna go see what everyone is up to, you stay here" she pointed at him, trying to be stern.

"Ah like it when ya git all bossy" he smirked and she rolled her eyes, bending down and kissing him softly "Stay safe..love ya" he whispered against her lips.

"Love you too" she smiled, turning and leaving the tent. She saw the group gathered round by the car again, huddled over a map. "Morning" she called, glancing at the map "What's the plan?"

"Jimmy told us about this housing development close to the farmhouse Daryl found" Rick pointed it out on the map "We're thinking of going there to search, after some sort of gun practice today"

"Which we need you for" added Shane, and Riley nodded "You're a good shot and you know the most about the guns"

"Well, sort of" she shrugged but still felt flattered. Riley helped Shane to gather their weapons, as everyone piled into the cars.

"How's Daryl doin'?" he asked her quietly, slinging the guns over his shoulder.

"Better, a lot better" she nodded, checking the ammo quantity

"Y'all are better now?"

"Yeah" she smiled and he smiled weakly back.

"Don' lose that, you got each other through all the shit, don' let it go" he said solemnly, glancing over at Lori. Riley frowned, placing a hand on Shane's.

"Thank you" she mumbled, feeling sorry for him. He grunted and they walked back over to the cars. Riley slid in next to Carl. "Glad to see you're feeling better, monkey" she smiled down at him, giving him a little hug.

"I got shot...how cool is that?" he grinned up at her and she laughed.

"Way cool, just..don't get shot again, okay? I was worried about you" she ruffled his hair, Patricia, Beth and Rick laughing at his protests.

"Is Daryl okay? My mom said you punched Andrea in the face and you were crying" Carl smoothed down his hair, looking up at Riley. Riley licked her lips, before answering.

"He's fine, he's a big boy, he can handle a little scrape" she smiled "And yeah...I did and I dont feel good about it, but when someone you love gets hurt-"

"You LOVE him?!" Carl laughed "You loooooove him!" he laughed as Riley put a hand over his mouth, laughing too.

"Forget I said anything" she rolled her eyes. Rick smiled in the rearview mirror at her.

"I'm happy for you two, I knew it would happen eventually" he stopped the car behind Shane's, parking in another field, with a wooden fence through it. The group stood in the grass, watching as Rick set up a variety of bottles and cans along the fence, providing targets for each shooter. Riley stood with Carl, teaching him how to load his weapon and the proper stance. He fired it once, the kick catching him off guard, and she grabbed him before he fell backwards.

"C'mon, try again" she laughed as Carl stuck his tongue out at her, adjusting his dad's hat so he could see again. "Keep your arms relaxed, and just squeeze the trigger..exhale when you do...you can do it"

Carl's tongue poked out of his mouth in concerntration as he squinted at the bottle on the fence. He squeezed the trigger and the glass smashed. "Yes! Way to go, man, that was amazing!" Riley praised him and he grinned at her. Along the line, Beth and Patricia weren't doing too well with their guns, Jimmy was doing okay, and Andrea was proving herself to be a natural. Lori watched Carl cautiously, still nervous about her son being around guns.

"Your turn!" Carl handed the gun to Riley. She grinned at him, reloading and aiming. She took out one, two, three targets easily. She even spun the gun around her finger in a cocky manner as Carl looked at her in shock. "You're so good! For a girl" he added cheekily, and Riley gasped in mock shock.

"So rude" she laughed, looking at Lori. "You needn't worry about him, he's got his dad's talent"

"Thank you" Lori smiled, appreciating the young woman's help.

"Hey..." Riley took Lori to the side whilst everyone carried on shooting "Is everything okay? You look...you dont seem right"

"yeah, everything's fine" Lori said, avoiding Riley's eyes

"Okay...I won't pry..just..you know you can talk to me" Riley eased off, as Rick walked over to them.

"We're heading back now, Shane's taking Andrea to the housing development, we can head back to the farm and make more plans"

**ooooooooooooo**

Riley sat in the chair outside of her and Daryl's tent, doodling in her journal. Daryl was asleep again and she didnt want to disturb him, figuring he needed it.

"...and here's your ABORTION PILLS!" Maggie's voice carried over the camp, luckily Riley was the only one around to hear it. She set her journal down and tip toed over to where the voice was coming from. She caught sight of a stunned Lori, clutching a white paper bag. Maggie was storming away from her, whilst Glenn stood there, torn between the women. He ran off after Maggie, leaving Lori alone. Lori ran into her tent with the bag. Riley poked her head in the tent.

"Lori?"

"GET OUT!" gasped Lori, covering up the boxes of pills of the small table in the tent.

"I-I'm sorry I just.."stammered Riley in shock as Lori bent over the table, her body shaking as she sobbed. Riley crouched next to her, rubbing her back. She picked up a packet of pills from the table "Lori..are you.."

"Yes" she whispered, pushing her hair from her face, her eyes red.

"Well that's great! Rick will be so happy!" smiled Riley, but her smile wavered as Lori's eyes welled up again "Won't he?"

Lori chewed her thumb nervously, avoiding Riley's eyes. "Lori, whats going on?"

"You dont know?!" Lori stared at the girl in shock, Riley shook her head, throughly confused. Lori sighed, her head in her hands. "Rick was shot...before all this broke out, he was in the hospital and...I thought he was dead...Shane...Shane told me he was, and he looked after me and Carl when everything went to shit...and...my husband was dead.." she trailed off, not needing to explain anymore. Riley sighed.

"You dont know whose it is?" she asked gently, and Lori shook her head.

"No matter what, it's Rick's but..I..I dont know if I can bring a baby into this"

"Nobody can tell you what to do, Lori, but...can I say, as a friend, that Rick deserves to know either way" Riley got up off her knees, squeezing Lori's shoulder. "I'm here if you need anything" Riley left Lori in the tent, heading back to her chair. She opened her tent door slightly, smiling seeing that Daryl was awake. "About time your lazy ass was awake"

"Abou' time yer ass came ta see me" he retorted, his voice husky from sleep.

"Touche" she smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed and unbuttoning his shirt.

"Bit forward, aint ya?" he grinned, lying back, his arms behind his head again. She pinched his unharmed side, making him hiss a little.

"I'm checking your wound, jackass" she shook her head, laughing as he sighed in dissapointment. She gently peeled back the dressing. "Does it hurt?"

"Nah" he drawled, so she poked it gently "Jesus Christ woman!" he winced, trying to shuffle away from her.

"Liar" she narrowed her eyes at him

"Tha' hurt" he growled as Riley shoved him over in the bed, lying down next to him. She snuggled into his chest. "Ya gonna make it up ta me?"

"Just you wait Dixon"


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**(I apologise for the length of these recent chapters, trying to combine two episodes in one chapter, so I'm not chugging out millions of chapters!)**

**SMUT ALERT!**

**Chapter 14**

"There's walkers in the barn" Glenn stammered, over breakfast the next morning. Riley's fork stopped midway to her mouth.

"Excuse me?!" she choked out, her fork clattering to her plate. She looked at Daryl, who was staring at Glenn, his own plate untouched. Everyone stared at Glenn, who shifted uncomfortably. Rick and Shane jumped to their feet.

"Now-now everyone just calm down" Dale urged, jumping up from his own seat

"We need to talk to Hershel about this" Rick said firmly

"He thinks they're sick people!" Dale cried "His wife and son are in there, along with friends and neighbours...he's determined to not put them down!"

"How long have you known?!" Riley turned to Glenn, who shifted again, nervously.

"Uh...a few days.." he mumbled and Riley exhaled in shock.

"We've been sleeping next to walkers for a _few days_ and you didnt think to tell us?!" Lori screeched, turning on Glenn.

"In all fairness Lori, it's not his land, not his secret to tell" Riley reasoned and Lori glared at her, but didnt say anything. Rick headed up to the house to talk to Hershel, and Shane glared at Glenn.

"We keep a guard on that barn at all times from now on, we aint takin' any chances" he said sternly and the group nodded. "For now, we carry on looking for Sophia."

Riley helped Carol to clear the plates from breakfast, before heading to the tent to talk to Daryl. Only he wasnt there, and Riley couldnt help noticing that his crossbow was missing from its usual spot in the tent.

"Son of a bitch!" she mumbled, heading towards the horse barn, where Daryl came storming out of. She glanced in and saw Carol standing there, tears in her eyes, the saddle stand thrown across the floor. Riley turned around and caught up with Daryl "Hey, what's going on?"

"Stupid bitch!" he growled "Thinkin' she can tell me when to look for her lil' girl"

"You were going out?! Daryl, come on!" she sighed

"Don' you start" he mumbled, turning to face her, exhaling slowly "I don' like bein' told wha to do, especially by someone who _aint _my girlfriend. I can just abou' take it from ya, but not Carol"

"She had every right to say that, we're all concerned about you. You're the best survivalist we've got, we cant lose you...I cant lose you" Riley whispered, and he sighed, pulling her to him, resting his head on hers.

"You aint gonna, Jersey, I promise"

"Good" she looked up and kissed him "But please, next time you wanna head out, tell me? I'll come with you"

"Fine" he smiled at her "Then git your things, we'll take a walk down by the creek, I foun' her doll down there, I wanna take a better look"

Riley nodded, and five minutes later she found Daryl, leaning against a tree, waiting for her. "Ahm always waitin' on ya, gerl"

"Like I said before, I'm a girl, what do you expect?" Riley smiled as they walked towards the forest again. Daryl led her through the woods, along the ridge on the path he took yesterday. Riley noticed vines ripped from their roots along the side of the ridge. She bit her lip, not only had he been lying at the bottom of this ridge for God knows how long, but he had to climb up the ridge with an arrow in his side. They found a safe path down to the creek, and Riley jumped from the ridge, her boots splashing in the water.

"Ah foun' the doll ova here.." Daryl pointed to the shallow part of the creek, Riley's eyes followed his finger as he pointed out where he'd moved the last time he was here. She swallowed hard at the blood stained rocks alongside the creek "Tha's where I saw ya.." he mumbled, and she took his hand.

"Come on, we'll walk the creek"

They followed the banks of the creek for a while, both of them keeping an eye out for any signs of Sophia. Daryl bent down, and plucked another Cherokee rose from the ground.

"She's still ou' there" he said, looking intently at the rose "Ahm gonna find her"

"I know you will" Riley stood above him, her hand on his shoulder.

"The others...back a' camp...they...they ignore me..they don' think we'll find her.." he sighed, standing up "They aint like you"

Riley smiled at him, her hand on his cheek

"We'll find her" she said firmly, looking into his eyes. "I know I didnt believe it before, but with someone like you looking for her...we'll find her."

Daryl nodded, kissing her hand as they walked further into the forest. They both started to feel the heat, and sat down on the forest floor for a while, to prevent heatstroke, and Daryl's wound was aching a little. Riley laid back on the ground, enjoying the shade from the canopy of trees. "I am so not cut out for this he-"

Daryl's mouth covered hers as he rolled on top of her, she moaned quietly as he kissed her passionately, his hands wandering up her body to her breasts. "Here?" she panted as she broke the kiss, her hands in his hair.

"Here" he growled, getting up and pulling her off the ground, pushing her up against a tree, undoing her pants. She kissed his neck, biting it gently as he slid her pants to the floor, she reached down and unbuttoned his cargo pants, pushing them off of him. She raised an eyebrow and smiled seductively, he wasnt wearing boxers. Riley wrapped her hand around his erection and began to move her hand up and down slowly, he groaned and rested his head on her shoulder, breathing heavily. She started to move her hand faster, biting her lip as Daryl kissed her collarbone and her neck gently, the throbbing in her underwear becoming almost unbearable. He didnt even bother to take off their shirts, before he took her hand from him, pulled her underwear down and lifted her up against the tree. She wrapped her legs around him and whined as he pushed into her slowly. Daryl moaned loudly at how wet she was for him, he didnt even touch her and she was practically dripping. His strong arms supported her aginst the tree as he roughly thrust into her. "Wanted ya so bad" he grunted, looking into her eyes "Yer so..fuck..yer so tight..so beautiful" his voice was gravelly with desire, and all Riley could do was moan loudly in response. "I love you..so much" he growled, his lips attatching to her neck once again, sucking roughly on her pulse point.

"I love you too.." she gasped, feeling that familiar sensation building up inside her, she clawed at his shoulders, throwing her head back, banging it against the tree as her orgasm took her completely by surprise "Fuck...Daryl!" she gasped, riding it out, clenching around him.

"Yer so fuckin' hot..." he groaned, pounding into her harder, their breathing heavy and quick. "God..I..I'm gonna..gonna cum" he moaned, their foreheads pressed together, their eyes locked on one another's. She kissed him deeply as he stilled and released inside of her, his groans muffled by the kiss. They didnt move whilst they caught their breath, they stayed wraped around each other until Daryl's arms grew weak in the aftermath of his orgasm. He placed her gently on the floor, pulling up his pants and doing them up. He then bent down and slid her underwear back up her legs, kissing her hip, before doing the same with her jeans. Daryl gave her a dirty wink and she giggled, pulling him up and kissing him hard.

"You're hot too" she whispered against his lips. "Come on, we should look some more before we head back" she began to walk ahead of him, swinging her hips seductively, she squealed when he slapped her butt sharply. She shoved him gently, both of them smiling like lovesick teenagers. They walked for a few more miles, finding no trace of Sophia in the woods. Daryl's good mood vanished when they decided to head back, with nothing to show from their afternoon, apart from the odd hickey on each other's necks. "It's okay, Daryl, maybe someone else found something?"

"Hmm" he grumbled, his scowl softening as she linked her fingers through his.

**oooooooooooo**

As they approached the farm, they watched Shane and Dale retreat from the other side of the woods, Shane carrying all the group's guns.

"What's going on?" Riley mumbled to Daryl, she didnt like the look in Shane's eyes.

"Dunno, stay close ta me" Daryl growled, tightening his grip on her hand as they walked over.

"Everybody takes a gun" Shane hollered, thrusting a gun into T-Dog's hands "Nobody else is endin' up like Amy, Jim or Otis!" he placed Riley's shotgun into her hands, looking at her, she took it from him hesistantly.

"Oh _shit_" muttered T-Dog, looking over the fields. Riley followed his gaze and gasped. Rick, Hershel and Jimmy were coming out of the woods, with two walkers on...leads?

"What the fuck?!" spat Shane, stomping over to the three men. The rest of the group hastily followed them all over to the barn, where Hershel and Rick were leading the walkers. He began to yell at Hershel, pointing his gun at the walker he was leading.

"Shane dont!" yelled Riley, running over and grabbing Shane's arm, he shoved her back roughly and Daryl caught her, glaring at the cop. "It's okay" she whispered to him, as she got to her feet.

"Tell me somethin', if this bitch was alive could she survive this?!" Shane roared, before raising his gun again and shooting the walker in the chest. Hershel's eyes widened at his behaviour, he dropped the lead and the walker stumbled forward towards Shane, the rest of the group were screaming at Shane to stop as he shot the walker again, this time in the leg. Then finally in the head. The walker dropped to the ground, no longer twitching.

"Shane, enough!" Rick yelled, Shane scoffed

"Yeah, ya right man, that is enough" he snarled, before shooting the other walker in the head, Jimmy let go of the lead in shock, jumping back. "Enough of this crap. We all need to start fightin' to survive, no more wastin' time lookin' for lost little girls or sleepin' next to a barn full of walkers!" He then breaks open the barn, playing deaf to the screams of Maggie, Beth and Patricia and the bellows of Hershel. Riley looked on in horror as walkers stumbled out of the barn, Shane, Andrea, Glenn and T-Dog formed an execution line and raised their guns. Daryl stepped forward, despite Riley's protests.

"I aint puttin ya in danger" he mumbled, raising his gun with the others and beginning to fire. Riley looked at Carl, and swallowed hard. Fuck it. She stood next to Daryl and began firing rounds from her shotgun. The walkers dropped one by one, nobody missing a shot. The last one emerged and Riley put it down.

Silence.

Except for the sobs of the Greene women, Riley avoided their eyes, turning back to look over the pile of bodies. She exhaled, lowering her gun.

Then a final walker emerged from the barn, shuffling slowly into the sunlight.

"Oh god no" Riley whispered, tears forming in her eyes as Carol's scream pierced her ear drums.

It was Sophia.

Lori sobbed, clutching Carl to her as they fell onto the dirt. Carol ran forward, screaming her daughter's name over and over. Daryl dashed out and grabbed her, pulling her back and slowly dropping onto the dirt too.

"Don' look" he mumbled to Carol as she turned her head into him and sobbed. Riley swayed on the spot, T-Dog put a hand on her back. Shane was stunned into silence, lowering his gun as Sophia shuffled towards the group.

"Somebody...somebody has to..." Riley gasped, through tears as Sophia's head snapped towards her at the sound of her voice, moving towards her. Riley dropped to her knees in the dirt, her gun clattering to the floor. "Oh, monkey..." she said tearfully "Somebody please!" she yelled, unable to watch. Rick stepped to the front of the group, raising his hand gun and pulling the trigger. Sophia's small body dropped to the ground and nobody said a word. Beth ran over to her mother's corpse, dropping to her knees next to her and sobbing. RIley scrambled to her feet and ran over, shoving Beth away from her mother's corpse as it grabbed Beth around the leg, attempting to pull her towards her mouth. Riley drove her knife through Annette's eye forcefully, and the body stilled.

"What…what have you done?!" gasped Beth, her hands clapping to her mouth. Riley wiped her knife on the ground, placing it back in her boot.

"I'm sorry Beth…but if I hadn't have done that, you would've become one of them" Riley whispered to the young, blonde girl, who looked at her with tear feared eyes. "I'm sorry"

Beth ran over to her father, who hadnt said a word since before the shooting, and Maggie, who could barely look at anyone, and they stormed towards the house. Riley walked over to Daryl, who had let Carol go, and threw her arms around his neck. He held onto her, stroking her hair in comfort, she was fond of Sophia, the little girl looked up to her like a big sister, and she had let her down.

"We should…we should bury them" said Andrea quietly, referring to Sophia, Hershel's wife and stepson.

"Burn tha rest" mumbled Daryl, as Riley unwrapped herself from him, nodding in agreement. She looked over to Carol, who was crouched by Sophia's body, staring at the blanket.

"Maybe... Maybe you should talk to her" Riley muttered "She seems to listen to you"

Daryl sighed and Riley gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, smiling softly at him. He squeezed her hand back and walked over to Carol.

"We're gonna hol' a funeral for her…" he said softly, watching the older woman carefully, her face remained stoic as she stared at her little girl. "Woul' ya…woul' ya wanna say somethin'?"

"I won't go" Carol said, quietly, without even blinking. Daryl frowned.

"Wha'?"

"I said, I won't go, I'm not burying my little girl"

"How can ya say tha'? Her own momma not goin' to her funeral?!" Daryl's temper shot up quickly, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. Carol stood up and turned to face him, her face almost grey, but no tears.

"My little girl died a long time ago, that is not her!" she cried, pointing to the tiny frame under the blanket. "I won't go!"

Daryl sighed and watched as Carol stormed off towards the RV. The older woman cast a glare at Riley as she walked past her. Riley swallowed hard and looked at the ground, sucking her lips in, her face pale.

"She still blames me…" she whispered as Daryl approached her. "This is my fault…I'm the reason she's dead…"

"Hey!" Daryl tilted her chin up so she was looking at him "We went ova this before, it aint ya fault, it aint no-one's fault, ya hear me?" She closed her eyes and sighed, not answering "Riley…" he warned, and then spoke in a softer tone "Baby, ya aint responsible for this, please, don' go down tha path" he begged and she opened her eyes, looking into his piercing blues. She nodded slowly, swallowing hard.

"Okay.." she whispered, as they walked back up to the farm house.

**Oooooooooooo**

After the funerals, Beth had collapsed and grew seriously ill. Hershel had vanished from the farm, and no-body had any idea where he'd gone. Until Rick found his empty hip flask.

"There's a bar in town" Maggie said quietly, her eyes filling with tears at the thought of her father slipping back to alcohol "Daddy used to drink there all the time"

"I'll bring him back safe, I promise" Rick placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly. She nodded, sniffing. He turned to the rest of the group gathered on the grass outside the house, Lori frowning at him.

"You're not going alone" she hissed, her grip on Carl tightened.

"I'll go" Riley spoke up, cutting the silence, Daryl's head snapped up.

"No way" he growled, she frowned at him.

"Daryl, I'm not a child, I want to help, please" she said, placing a hand on his bicep, looking at him with those big eyes…_dammit,_ he thought, _jus' can't say no ta her._ He frowned again, sighing deeply.

"Okay…okay, but ya takin' a gun, ya aint goin' unarmed" he said, turning to Rick "Ya take care a her"

"Of course, you got my word" Rick said sternly

"I'll come too, I know the town a little better than you guys" Glenn adjusted his hat, smiling at Maggie, who sighed and turned on her heel, heading back into the house to be with Beth.

"It's settled then, we go, we bring Hershel back, we get Beth back on her feet" Riley licked her dry lips, her stomach twisting with an uneasy feeling. The three of them gathered their weapons and headed over to the car. Riley opened the back door, stepping up into the vehicle.

"Wai'" Daryl grabbed her arm, pulling her back out of the car, turning her to face him. He kissed her hard, leaving her breathless and blushing as everyone stared. "I love you…come back ta me okay?"

Riley smiled, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I love you too, and of course I will" she kissed his cheek again, before stepping into the car. She shut the door, adjusting her seatbelt, playing her shotgun across her lap.

"Rick…" Daryl growled

"I know..I know Daryl, I won't let her get hurt, I promise" Rick nodded to Daryl, who merely grunted before stomping off to his tent.

**Oooooooooooooo**

True to Maggie's words, they found Hershel in the bar, slumped on a bar stool, a glass of whiskey in his hand. Glenn and Riley took a step back whilst Rick tried to get through to the old man.

"So…how are things with you and Daryl?" asked Glenn, wiggling his eyebrows, Riley let out a small giggle. She smiled at him, blushing a little.

"We're good…" she trailed off, her heart beating that little bit faster thinking about him, with his tanned muscly arms, piercing blue eyes and Southern drawl.

"I'll say, you two got it bad for each other" Glenn teased and she shoved him lightly.

"Shut up, pizza boy. How about you and Maggie?" she dropped her voice so Hershel wouldn't overhear. Glenn's smiled faded slightly.

"She uh…she said she loves me" he whispered

"That's good right? You love her too?" Riley probed, and he didn't answer "Glenn…? Oh god please tell me you didn't leave her hanging"

"Well I've never had anyone tell me that before…except my mom and my sisters, I choked" he shrugged and Riley smiled sympathetically. The bar door then burst open and Glenn and Riley jumped in front of the door, their weapons drawn.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my baby girl"


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome! **

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 15**

Riley's gun shook visibily as she caught sight of the two men in the doorway. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment, and her shock temporarily shut down her body.

_Him._

_It was Him._

He smiled an evil grin at her, as he and his friend shut the door behind them. Riley kept her gun raised, her breath shaky.

"Aw, honey, you're gonna point that thing at me?" he smirked, as his fat partner choked back a laugh. He pressed his hand gun into her stomach, and the other man had his shotgun set on Glenn.

"Riley, you _know_ these people?" Glenn asked, in shock, his own gun pointing at the other man. The taller of the two chuckled, as Rick approached the group.

"Oh, boy, does she _know _me" he smirked. "How's that arm sweetheart?" he laughed in a sick manner

"I can see it from here, left a good one there, Dave" the fat male, stepped to the side of them, eyeing Riley up and down "Damn, Riley, the apocalypse did you good!"

"Fuck you, Tony" she snarled, staring down her gun at Him.

"Oh, Dave, she hasn't changed much, still got that mouth on her!" chuckled Tony, sitting his fat ass down at the bar.

"yeah she has" smirked Dave, pushing Riley's gun aside and stroking her cheek "Miss me baby?"

"Bite me" she growled, slapping his hand away, he laughed again.

"Baby, maybe someday I will"

Glenn glanced at the two of them, then to the scar on Riley's arm.

"He did this to you?!" he gasped, glaring at Riley's ex-boyfriend with utter disgust

"You sick son of a bitch" spat Rick, stepping next to Riley. Dave and Tony ignored him, laughing as they poured themselves drinks. Dave set his gun down on the bar, and Tony propped his shotgun against his stool.

"I'm surprised you managed to get your fat ass outta Jersey, Tony" Riley spat and Tony did nothing but hold two fingers up to his mouth, waggling his tongue between them "Still a fucking skeeze I see"

"Hey, sweetheart, you watch your mouth around my friends" Dave pointed to her with his shot glass. He lowered it and looked her over. "Damn, you're looking so good, baby, fancy coming back to our crib?"

Riley stormed towards him; her gun pressed into his chest, Tony grabbed her from behind, wrenching her arms behind her back, her gun clattered to the floor. He then threw her across the bar, sending her flying into a table, she felt her lip split. She hissed, crumpled on the floor as Glenn ran over to help her up. Dave and Tony high fived each other, laughing evilly. Rick drew his gun on Dave.

"Ya like to beat up women tough guy? Ever thought about picking on someone your own size?" he snarled, flicking the safety off. Dave's eyes widened slightly.

"Come on now, I'm a nice guy really…thought all you people down here was into that 'southern hospitality'?" Dave had switched back to what he thought was his 'nice guy' persona. The one Riley fell so hard for when she was younger.

"Thought wrong" grunted Rick, not lowering his gun. "Now leave"

"Come on, man, we got nowhere to go" Tony joined in with the pathetic and worthless pleading "You guys don't look as shitty as we do, where are you hiding out?"

"None of your business" Riley spat, getting up from the floor, shoving Glenn's hand away and wiping her lip with the back of her hand, smelling the blood. She quickly glanced down to her gun at her feet, and back up to the men. "Thought you had a 'crib' anyways?"

"We do, but there's a lot of us and there isn't enough food, we can't go back out there" Dave glared at Rick "What do you suggest we do, man?"

"Dunno, I hear Nebraska's nice this time a year" shrugged Rick. Dave sighed, shaking his head.

"Damn, people really don't change huh Tony?"

"Still selfish assholes" agreed the fat man. Rick's back turned to Dave and Riley watched as his hand travelled to his gun on the bar, drawing it on Rick's back. With lighting reactions, Riley bent down, grabbed her gun from the floor and fired a shot into Dave's head. His body fell behind the bar and before Tony could react, Riley pumped her shotgun and fired two rounds into his chest. He wheezed, his eyes wide in shock as he slumped to the floor. Rick, Hershel and Glenn all stared at Riley, who hadn't lowered her gun and was breathing heavily.

"That son of a bitch drew his gun on you, he was gonna kill you" she panted, her eyes still fixed on Tony, whose eyes were closed and his breathing had stopped. "So I…I killed him" she said, more to herself than anyone else. He was gone. He was well and truly gone and he couldn't hurt her anymore. She exhaled, shakily, lowering her gun. The four of them jumped as Tony gasped loudly, his eyes snapped open. Rick turned on him and finished him off with a bullet to the head.

"Riley…are you okay?" Glenn mumbled, glancing at his friend in concern. She pressed her lips together tightly and nodded. "I mean…are you sure?"

"Glenn, I'm fine, let's just get out of here, okay?" she snapped and Glenn's eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded. Rick helped Hershel to his feet, and they walked towards the door of the bar. Riley stretched out her hand to the door handle, when the lights of a car shone through the dirty windows.

"Get down!" hissed Rick and they all crouched to the floor, Glenn and Rick bracing the door with their backs.

"Yo, Tony! Dave! You in there?" a male voice called from just outside the bar.

"Keep your goddamn voice down! I heard gunshots!" another joined in. The doors shook as the strangers pulled at them, Glenn and Rick pushing harder against the door.

"What the fuck?! Dave! Tony! Let us in ya pricks!"

"They drew on us!" Rick hollered and the doors stopped shaking. Glenn relaxed a little, moving away from the door, and then yelped as gunshots blasted through the door. The four scrambled away from the door, keeping as low as possible.

"Glenn, check the back!" hissed Rick once the shots had ceased, the young man nodded, darting over to the back exit. Riley followed for back up.

"Glenn!" she hissed, pointing as a shadow appeared on the other side of the glass, rattling the doorhandle. Glenn raised his gun and shot blindly through the glass, and Riley covered her head as it shattered. Glenn reached up and opened the door, peering out cautiously into the alley. He nodded his head at the other three and they all darted into the alley, crouching behind a dumpster.

"Riley, cover Glenn whilst he runs to the car, me and Hershel will keep a look out" Rick whispered and Riley nodded, pumping her gun. Glenn snuck forwards as she hid behind another dumpster. She watched her friend as he checked around him before darting forwards. A strange man appeared apparently out of nowhere, his gun cocked and ready, pointing it at Glenn, before firing it. Riley aimed and squeezed the trigger of her gun, firing a bullet through his calf. He yelped and dropped to the floor, clutching his leg. Riley glanced up and Glenn was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?!" called Rick, his eyes wide.

"Some guy snuck up on Glenn, fired at him, I think he was hit!" Rile panicked as they moved forward. She found Glenn on the other side of the large dumpster, clutching his gun to his chest and panting, frozen in fear. "Come on buddy" she grunted, pulling him to his feet. Their heads all turned behind them as they heard the soft growls and shuffling of walkers approaching them in the alley. The wounded man began to panic and scream as they swooped down on him, devouring him alive. Riley winced and turned away, a tight grip still on Glenn's arm as they moved further forward to the car. As they reached the vehicle, a bullet bounced off the hood, causing them all to retreat behind the dumpsters once more.

"Up there" Hershel panted, pointed up to the roof, where a young man, couldn't have been older than 23, aimed his rifle down at the car.

"What do we do?" whispered Riley, clutching her gun "Do we take him down too?"

Rick opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the sound of an approaching car.

"Randall! Come on, get your ass offa that roof we got creepers!" screamed the driver up to the man, who nodded, throwing his rifle down into the alleyway below him, before leaping to the lower roof opposite. He lost his footing and slipped, and the four from the farm winced as he impaled his leg on a fence spike. He screamed in agony, struggling to pull his leg away.

"Nate! Nate help me!" he cried, begging the driver of the car, looking towards the on-coming herd of walkers. The driver leaned out of the car window, checking behind him.

"I-I'm sorry man…" he stammered, before driving away.

"NATE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" screamed the man who Riley presumed was called Randall.

"Oh my god.." gasped Riley as she spotted the walkers "We need to go, now, we cant take them all on"

"What about him?!" Glenn gestured towards the stranger on the fence "We cant leave him!"

"But we'll be risking our necks for someone we don't even know if we go to get him!" argued Hershel and Riley nodded in agreement

"He was rolling with Dave and Tony…he could be exactly like them, we don't know" she mumbled, looking at Rick, who sighed.

"I cant just leave him…come on!" he grunted, jumping to his feet and running towards Randall. "Riley, get to the car and start it up!" he called back as Hershel and Glenn followed him. Riley rolled her eyes, but got to her feet and sprinted to the car, jumping into the driver's seat and twisting the key. The engine sprung to life and she waited, patiently as the men tended to Randall. She looked in the rearview mirror and gasped, the walkers were closer than she'd thought. She leant out of the window.

"COME ON!" she yelled as they lifted the man off of the fence and ran towards the car with him, carefully putting him in the back seat and jumping into the car themselves. Riley hit the gas and the car sped away, slipping through the walkers' cold, decaying fingers.

**Oooooooooooo**

The sun rose the next morning, and the campers awoke to find the car still absent.

"Why aren't they back yet?" Lori paced back and forth, chewing on her fingernails "Something isn't right"

"They'll be back soon" Carol reassured her, but not quite believing it herself.

"Maybe something happened?" Lori panicked, her eyes fixed on the road, still chewing away. Carol placed her hand on the slender woman's arm.

"Rick wouldn't let anything happen, you know that" she mumbled, and Lori nodded, her fingers leaving her mouth. Daryl paced anxiously outside his tent, his stomach turning. He hadn't slept at all last night, missing the warmth of Riley next to him, although he'd never admit it. He'd breathed in her scent from her pillow a few times, hoping it would soothe his worry, but to no avail. His head snapped up at the sound of a car approaching the farm. He exhaled a little as he recognised the vehicle, walking over to the house with the rest of the group.

Riley brought the vehicle to a stop, unbuckling her seat belt. She exhaled slowly as the rest of the group gathered around the car, the night's events suddenly hitting her. He'd found her, and she'd killed him.

"Who is that?!"

"What were you thinking?!"

The group's voices seemed to echo in Riley's ears, as she jumped out of the car. She felt sick to her stomach, she'd killed a man in cold blood, without even thinking. He wasn't even a walker. Rick and Glenn carried Randall to the barn, as Hershel went into the house with Maggie and Patricia to take care of Beth. Daryl approached Riley.

"Hey" he mumbled, grabbing her face and turning it towards him, his eyes focused on her lip "Wha' the hell happened to ya?"

She tore herself away from him

"I'm fine" she mumbled, frowning, not wanting to tell him the truth. She started to walked towards the tent, not wanting to do this infront of everyone. He darted after her, grabbing her arm.

"Don' do tha', don' walk away from me" he growled

"Or what?" she retorted, glaring at him. He frowned at her.

"Or nothin', I'm just worried about ya, woman! Ya lip's split and ya look….somethin' aint righ' wi' ya." He followed her into their tent. She whirled around and stood facing him, her fists clenched by her side.

"You wanna know what happened? Fine, Daryl. I shot two men today. Not walkers, _men._ And I shot of them straight in the head. But they weren't just any guys, oh no, the one I shot and killed, just happened to be my bastard of an ex-boyfriend. Yeah that's right, the one who sliced my arm up and kept me in his basement. He was all the way out here in fucking Georgia. In that fucking bar. And then, his asshole friend, the one I shot in the chest, twice, grabbed me and threw me across the bar, I hit my face on a table and split my lip. After I shot him, Rick finished him off. We were then shot at by the rest of their fucking group. We left the bar and Glenn almost got killed by another guy. I shot him too. Right in the leg, and left him to be eaten alive by the herd of walkers that were heading our way. And then, it just gets fucking better, Rick decides to play the fucking saviour and rescues that kid out there, who slipped and impaled himself on a fucking fence. We almost got devoured ourselves trying to save that kid, or we don't know anything about, but if was rolling with Dave…_him_…then hes probably just like them, and I'm not comfortable with that! So there, that's what happened, and that's whats wrong!" Riley vented all her anger and emotion out onto Daryl who just stood there, taking it, his jaw clenched.

"You shot him? Killed him?" he mumbled, looking at her as she stood there, panting, her fists still clenched. She nodded, relaxing a little. He said nothing, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her. He felt her body grow a little limp, and her body shook with the sobs she let out. He stroked her hair, kissing her head "S'okay…he aint gonna hurt ya anymore, baby, he's gone…ya didn't do anythin' wrong"

Riley composed herself and pulled away from Daryl, his shirt stained with her tears.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, wiping her eyes.

"Don' be stupid" Daryl sat her down on their bed of blankets. "lemme see" he turned her face to his, inspecting her lip. "Sumbitch split it pretty good"

"I'm gonna be fine" she pushed his hand away, and he gripped hers, bringing it to his lips.

"I was worried about ya…don' leave me like that' again" he mumbled against her skin, looking up at her. She smiled weakly, squeezing his fingers.

"I won't" she promised. He smiled at her, as they stood up and walked back towards the house.

"Kinda pissed tha' ya got ta shoot him" Daryl mumbled, and Riley glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "Tha' was kind compare ta wha' ah would'a done ta him"

Riley squeezed his hand as they entered the house. Everyone was gathered in Hershel's dining room. Riley noticed Daryl nod briefly at Carol, and she smiled back.

"he was blindfolded the whole way here, he's not a threat" stated Rick to the group, obviously they were discussing Randall and his fate.

"Not a threat, how many of them were there?" scoffed Shane "Ya killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just aint gonna come looking for him?"

"They left him for dead" Rick growled "No-one is looking!"

"We should still post a guard" said T, looking at Rick.

"He's out cold right now, will be for hours" said Hershel, looking around the room.

"Ya know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy" Shane scoffed again before stalking out of the room "Look at this folks! We back in fantasy land!"

"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet!" Hershel followed Shane, raising his voice. "Let me make this perfectly clear once and for all. This is my farm. I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favour, keep your mouth shut.".

Shane looked around the room, everyone looking at Hershel in slight shock. Shane said nothing, turned on his heel and left the house, sighing.

"Look, we're not gonna do anything about it today, let's just cool off" said Rick to Hershel as everyone left the room. Daryl avoided Carol's eyes as she looked at him, and he left the house. Riley frowned at Carol.

"What's going on with you two?" she asked, unable to hide her jealousy. Carol had been off with Riley ever since Sophia had gone missing, and since Daryl started paying her some attention.

"Nothing" Carol avoided Riley's eyes. Riley grabbed the older woman's arm.

"Carol, look, I know you blame me for what happ-"

"No I don't." Carol cut Riley off. "I don't blame you Riley, and I'm sorry for my behaviour towards you…I just…I was more angry at myself. Daryl was right"

"What do you mean?" Riley frowned

"When you were gone last night…we talked. He got mad, saying that I should've looked after Sophia more, he was right."

"if he was mad, he probably went about it the wrong way" Rile reassured Carol, as tears formed in her eyes. "He's pissed off, he searched like hell for your daughter, he's mad at himself, but he'll take it out on the nearest person, I'm sorry"

Carol smiled, wiping her eyes.

"He's a good man, he really cares about you…don't let that slip away" Carol said to Riley, taking her hand in hers. "And thank you, for pushing the search for Sophia"

"I wont…and you're welcome, Carol" Riley smiled at the older woman, before walking off to find Daryl. She smiled as she spotted him, noting the leather vest with the wings on the back. She cleared her throat and he turned, his expression softening at the sight of his woman. "Hi" she smiled, placing a kiss to his lips. He returned the kiss, holding her close to him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome!**

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 16**

Rick and Shane took Randall 18 miles away from the farm, the original plan being to leave him somewhere he couldnt make it back, or bring others. But they'd changed their mind. They'd brought him back to camp and tied him up in the slaughter shed again, still undecided on whether he was going to live or die. But it _was_ decided that Daryl was gonna beat the living crap out of him to make him talk. Riley sat with the others, waiting for him to emerge.

"So whatcha gonna do?" asked Lori, bending down pouring water into a mug for Carl. "We'd all feel better if there was a plan"

"Is there a plan?" spat Andrea, looking at Rick.

"We gonna keep him here?" asked Glenn. Shane looked at Rick, who sighed.

"We'll know soon enough" he stated, before looking over the fields. Everyone followed his line of vision, to Daryl who was walking back to them, his knuckles bloody.

"Boy there's gotta gang, 30 men. Got heavy artillery and they aint lookin' to make friends" Daryl said, looking at the group."They roll through here, our boys are dead" he paused, swallowing, looking at Riley "And our women, theyre gonna...they're gonna wish they were.."

"What did you do?" asked Riley, eyeing up his knuckles. Daryl glanced down at his knuckles before bringing his hand from his shoulder.

"Had a lil chat" he mumbled, walking away.

"No-one goes near this guy" said Rick, forcefully. Riley looked at him.

"So what are you gonna do?" she asked again, folding her arms under her breasts.

"We have no choice, he's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat" Rick stated. Riley chewed her lip as Dale looked at Rick as if he was mad.

"You're just gonna kill him?" he asked, Rick avoided his eyes.

"It's settled...I'll do it today" he told the group, before walking off. Dale followed him and Riley watched as Dale tried to persuade Rick otherwise. As much as Riley didnt want to bring Randall back to camp in the first place, she couldnt agree with just killing him.

"You guys surely cant be okay with this?" she looked at the rest of the group, who remained silent. "Come on!" she sighed in exasperation, hardly able to believe that the group were so scared to speak their minds "Lori?" she looked at Rick's wife who shrugged

"I trust Rick's judgement" she mumbled

"This is fuckin' bullshit!" Riley spat, getting to her feet and going to find Daryl. He was back at the tent, arranging his home made arrows. She sighed, sitting on the log, watching him, chewing her thumb. "What did he say?"

"Enough to make me beat the shit outta him tha' lil bit harder" Daryl growled, looking at her "Dont ya go near him, ya hear me?"

Riley frowned and mock saluted him. "This aint a joke woman!" he threw down his arrows and stomped over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and pulling her up. "Tha' kid rolled with ya psycho ex, ah know wha' he was capable of!"

"But did Randall say that _he_ did anything himself?"

"He tol' me tha' when they was out scavengin' they came 'cross this camp, ol' man and his two daughters...his people raped the gerls whilst the daddy watched, didnt even kill 'em aftawards. He didn' say that he did anythin', no, but I aint riskin' anythin' else happenin' to ya"

"Okay..okay" she breathed as he let her go, moving back to his arrows. She simply stood and watched him, crossing her arms again. "I'll come back later, I'm gonna go talk to Glenn" she sighed, before heading back over to the house. She passed Dale in the field, he was approaching Daryl "Good luck" she sighed at Dale, who smiled kindly at her. "For what it's worth, I'm with you" she nodded towards him before carrying on. Dale walked to Daryl, who turned his head and scoffed at the sight.

"The whole poin' of me an' Riley comin' up here was ta git away from you people" Daryl drawled.

"Gonna take more than that" Dale shrugged, looking around their little camp. Daryl watched Riley walking away.

"Riley send you?"

"Riley's not the only one concerned about you, your new role in the group" reasoned Dale

"Oh man, I dont need my head shrunk" scoffed Daryl "This group's broken, I'm better off fending fer maself..and fer Riley"

"You act like you dont care" frowned Dale, as Daryl put on his jacket, huffing a little.

"Yeah, it's cos I dont"

"So, live or die, you dont care what happens to Randall?" Dale stared at the younger man.

"Nope" Daryl grunted. Dale sighed.

"Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life, if it really doesnt matter one way or the other? I know Riley's with me" shrugged the old man.

"Didnt peg you fer a desperate son of a bitch" Daryl drawled at the mention of Riley's name.

"Your opinion makes a difference"

"Man, aint nobody lookin' at me fer nothin'"

"Riley is" Dale gestured towards the other camp "And I am, right now" Daryl stopped walking away and turned, staring at Dale "And you obviously...you have Rick's ear"

"Rick just looks to Shane" Daryl spat "Let him" he adjusted his crossbow on his shoulder before walking away again. Dale took a step forward.

"You cared about what happened to Sophia," Dale argued as Daryl turned around again "Care what it meant to the group...torturing people? That isnt you! What does Riley think about that? You're a decent man, so is Rick. Shane...he's different"

"Why's that, cos he killed Otis?" Daryl looked at Dale, whose expression changed. He walked towards Daryl

"He tell you that?"

"He told some story, how Otis covered him, saved his ass, he showed up with the dead guy's gun. Rick aint stupid. If he didnt figure tha' out its cos he didnt wanna. It's like ah said, the group's broken. I don' care wha happens to tha kid, as long as Riley's safe, tha's all I care about" he said, before turning away again and leaving Dale speechless.

**ooooooooooooo**

Riley found Carl sitting by Sophia's grave. She sighed, wandering over and sitting by him, crossing her legs.

"Hey buddy" she smiled, rubbing his arm, he smiled weakly back, peering out from under his hat. "How ya doin'?"

"Okay I guess" he mumbled, playing with a gun shell in his hands, looking down at the grave "I thought we'd find her"

"I know, man, we all did" Riley looked down at the mound of dirt, swallowing hard. She reached out and began to fiddle with her boot lace. "We all hoped and prayed"

"Praying doesnt work, it's just stupid" spat Carl and Riley's eyebrows raised. Sure, she didnt believe in all that God and religion stuff, but for a kid of Carl's age to be saying stuff like that...this world really had gone to shit. Carol wandered over to the two, smiling slightly.

"We'll see Sophia again in Heaven, someday, she's in a better place" she said, standing over Carl. He looked up at her, almost in disgust.

"No she's not!" he growled, getting to his feet "Heaven is just another lie, and if you believe it, you're an idiot" he glared at Carol before walking off. Riley and Carol watched the small boy, both speechless.

"He..he didnt mean that" said Riley, getting to her feet, Carol noticed Rick and Lori walking near, and she spun around, storming over to them, Riley dashed after her "Carol..come on.."

"You need to control that boy!" Carol spat at the parents, who frowned at her

"Carl? What happened?" asked Rick, in shock

"He's disrespectful" Carol mumbled

"Did he say somethin'?" Rick asked, concern etched on his face

"He was just upset.." Riley tried to explain

"Something cruel about Sophia" Carol spat, glancing at Riley.

"We'll figure it out..it's okay, I-" Lori started

"It's not okay!" Carol said in shock, Rick held his hands up

"I'll have...I'll have a talk with him" he muttered, before heading off after Rick. Lori watched him and turned to Carol.

"See...i-its okay, we'll deal with it..i-if you could just calm down so i can-"

"Dont tell me to calm down!" snapped Carol

"Carol she didnt mean it like that!" interjected Riley, stepping in between the two women.

"I dont need either of you to patronise me. Everyone either avoids me or they treat me like I'm crazy. I lost my daughter, I didnt lose my mind!" she yelled, before storming off. RIley and Lori looked at each other, sighing.

"Carl didnt really say anything that bad, Lori, he's just upset.." RIley tried to explain the situation

"It's okay...Rick will handle it" Lori bit her fingernails

"You need to calm down...stress isnt good for the baby" Riley frowned in concern and Lori chuckled

"You sound so much like a mother...you ever think about having kids?" Riley shrugged

"I dunno, I mean...I love babies and kids, and yeah I'd love to have a little person call me mama one day but..I guess my chances are gone now, with the world blowing to shit and all" she looked at the older woman, who smirked at her "What's so funny?"

"Dont ya think Daryl would make a great daddy?" Lori laughed and RIley chuckled a little "Oh my god you've thought about it?"

"No of course not!" RIley snapped, blushing a little

"Aw that's cute, you can get some practice in when this one's born" Lori smiled, rubbing her stomach. Riley rolled her eyes.

"Shut up" she laughed. The sun began to set and everyone gathered in the house again to talk about Randall's fate. Riley entered the room with Lori and Rick, she walked over to Daryl and leant against the dresser he was stood by. Nobody said a word. Carl stood in the doorway and everyone stared at him. Daryl looked at Lori, who was still watching Carl with her arms folded. Carl gave up and walked away.

"So..how do we do this? Just..take a vote?" asked Glenn, breaking the tense silence.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" asked Andrea

"How about majority rules?" suggested Lori

"Well, let's just see where everybody stands" said Rick "Then we can talk through the options"

"Well, the way I see it, there's only one way to move forward" mumbled Shane

"Killing him, right?" spat Dale, looking around the room "I mean, why even bother to take a vote, it's clear which way the wind's blowing"

"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know" said Rick.

"Well I can tell you it's a small group" growled Dale, looking at Riley. "Maybe just me, Glenn and RIley" Everyone turned to Riley. She sighed, looking at the group

"I don't think we should kill him" she shook her head and Daryl looked at her disbelievingly.

"You didnt want to bring him back!" stated Hershel

"I know, but leaving him out there to die is different to bringing him back to some sort of civilisation, making him think there's some sort of hope for him, and then just taking that away. That's cruel" Riley frowned, looking at everyone.

"Are ya crazy? I tol' ya what his group did!" growled Daryl, making her look at him

"Yeah, what his _group_ did, Daryl, not what _he_ did! True, we dont know him, but why make him guilty by association?" She turned to Glenn, waiting for him to voice his opinion.

"Look, I..I think you're pretty much right about everything" he gestured to Dale, looking at him "All the time, but this.."

"Theyve got you scared!" Dale raised his voice slightly, unable to believe what he was hearing

"He's not one of us!" Glenn defended himself "And we've...we've lost too many people already"

Dale stood in silence for a second, before glancing at Maggie.

"How about you? Do you agree with this?"

"Couldnt we continue keeping him prisoner?" sighed Maggie, avoiding the question.

"Just anotha mouth ta feed" mumbled Daryl, avoiding Riley's eyes

"It may be a lean winter" said Hershel, looking up around at everyone

"We could ration better" reasoned Lori, looking at the old man.

"Or he could be an asset to us, give him a chance to prove himself" suggested Riley, and Dale nodded at her

"Put him to work?" asked Glenn

"We're not letting him walk around" stated Rick, and Daryl's hand found Riley's, his grip hard.

"We could put an escort on him" said Maggie and Shane scoffed

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?"

"I will" said Dale

"Me too" Riley piped up

"No way" Daryl growled

"Look, I dont think any of us should be walking around with this guy" Rick put his hand up to silence the voices.

"I wouldnt feel safe unless he was tied up" muttered Lori, and Riley frowned at her.

"We cant exactly put chains around his ankles and sentence him to hard labour" Andreas arms were folded tightly as she looked around the room. Shane shifted awkwardly.

"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe...maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his 30 men"

Daryl's eyes wandered to Riley and he stepped a little closer to her, no way was he gonna let that happen to her.

"So, the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt?" Dale's frustration with the group was clear through his exaggerated hand movements. "If we do this, we're saying there's no hope, rule of law is dead, there is no civilisation"

"Oh my god" Shane sighed, rubbing his head, Riley glared at him.

"You know what, Shane you had your turn, let him speak" she spat, Shane did as he was told.

"Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" asked Hersel, Lori shook her head vigorously.

"You barely came back this time. There are walkers, you could break down...you could get lost"

"Or get ambushed" Daryl's voice drawled from behind Riley.

"They're right, we should not put our own people at risk" Glenn pointed out, shaking his head.

"If you go through with it...how would you do it?" Patricia spoke up nervously for the first time "Would he suffer?"

"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck" Shane growled and Riley looked at him in disgust.

"And what if it doesnt go to plan? He's just hanging there with a broken neck, still alive, still suffering?" she argued, looking at Rick

"I've thought about that, shooting may be more humane" he mumbled, and Riley turned to look at Daryl, who avoided her eyes.

"And uh...what about the body? Do we bury him?" asked T-Dog, rubbing his chin.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on, hold on, you're talking about this like it's already decided!" interjected Dale, holding his hands up.

"You been talkin' all day, goin' round in circles" Daryl made a circular motion with his index finger "You just wanna go round in circles again?" Riley could sense he was getting impatient with the older man.

"This is a young man's life!" Dale cried "And it is worth more than a five minute conversation! Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we cant decide what else to do with him? You saved him, and now look at us. He's been tortured, he's gonna be executed...how are we any better than those people we're so afraid of?" Dale gripped his hat in his hands, wringing it in anger. He looked around the group, and everyone avoided his eyes.

"We all know what needs to be done" Shane broke the brief silence, raising his eyebrows at Dale. Rick began to speak.

"No, Dale is right. We cant leave any stone unturned here, we have a responsibility-"

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea cut him off mid sentence

"Let Rick finish!" Lori spat, and Andrea stared at her.

"We havent come up with a single viable option yet. I wish we could" she sighed

"So let's work on it!" Dale shouted

"We are!" Rick reassured him.

"Stop it!" Carol's voice sounded out across the room, causing everyone to be quiet for a second. "Just stop it. I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didnt ask for this. You cant ask us to decided something like this." She looked at Rick, before looking away. "Please decide, either of you, both of you, but leave me out"

"Not speaking out, or killing him yourself, there's no difference" Dale pointed at Carol.

"Now come on Dale, that's not fair" Riley spoke up, and the old man looked at her. "Dale, come on, we all know what's gonna happen here, we can argue until we run outta breath, it aint gonna work. Like Daryl said, all we're doing is going around in circles, so what's the use?"

Dale opened his mouth to argue back

"Alright, that's enough" Rick held his hand up to Dale. "Anybody wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance."

Maggie and Patricia sat on the couch, Hershel gazed at the floor. Everyone else simply looked at each other, in silence. Shane glared at Riley.

"You seemed to have a lot to say, Riley, why dont ya speak up now?" he smirked

"Bite me, bro" she growled, her Jersey accent coming through strong. She chewed on her thumbnail as everyone continued to look around the room. Dale looked at Rick and stepped forward.

"You once said that we dont kill the living"

"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us" Rick retorted

"But dont you see, if we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew...is dead. And this new world is ugly. It's harsh. It-it's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I dont wanna live in. And I dont believe that any of you do" he gestured around the room as everyone continued to look at their feet "I cant. Please" Riley looked up as she heard the emotion in the old man's voice. His eyes almost looked as if they were filled with tears. "Let's just do what's right." He looked around again, to be met with silence "Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?"

"I will, Dale" Riley said, removing her thumb from her mouth "I'm tired of being walked all over, this isnt right and I know it, as much as you all disagree, as much as I didnt want him here in the first place...I cant just let him be murdered in cold blood"

"I agree with you, RIley. Dale's right" Andrea suddenly said, looking at Dale. "We should try to find another way"

Riley's heart sank as no-body else spoke up to agree with Dale. Rick turned to look at Dale, and Dale sighed in disbelief.

"Are you all gonna watch too?" he scoffed. "Nah, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. Oh...I wont be a party to it" he said angrily, storming out of the room, stopping briefly to put a hand on Daryl's arm. "This group _is_ broken" he said to the younger man. Riley jumped a little as Dale slammed the door behind him. No-body else said a word.

**ooooooooooo**

Night had fallen, and Riley sat outside her and Daryl's tent, watching through binoculars as Daryl, Rick and Shane led Randall to the barn, his hands bound behind his back. She swallowed hard. Dale's arguing had been pointless, they were taking Randall to his execution. She had begged and pleaded Daryl not be a part of it when they'd left the house in the afternoon, but he was too damn stubborn.

_"Daryl, please" she had taken his hand in hers "You're a good man, you know this isnt right"_

_"What ah know, is tha' ah'll do anythin' ta protect ya" he'd retorted, his ice blue eyes bore into her baby blue ones. "Jus' havin' him around ya is...ah don' like it"_

_"He's not like them, I know it...please" she had begged until she had nothing else to say, other than 'please'. He'd simply kissed her cheek and left her at the tent, walking off to find Rick and Shane._

Now, Riley sighed as the group of men dissapeared into the barn. She lowered the binoculars as she noticed Carl creeping away from his tent, heading towards the barn.

"Hell no" she gasped, throwing down the binoculars and sprinting over to the barn. As shitty as this world was now, she wouldnt expose Carl to something as brutal as this. As fast a runner as she was, she didnt catch Carl in time, he wandered into the barn.

"Do it Dad. Do it" she heard him say, and she dashed into the barn, grabbing him. She glanced into the barn, Randall was on his knees, a blindfold around his eyes, and Rick was in front of him, his gun almost to his head. Shane, Rick and Daryl all turned at the sound of Carl's voice, and Riley's footsteps.

"I'm sorry, I tried to grab him" she panted, tugging him out of the barn

"Are you kidding me? What did i say to you? What did I say to you?" Shane stomped towards Carl "Get him outta here!" he snarled to Riley, who nodded, looking at Daryl, before pulling Carl further away.

"Take him away" Rick's broken voice made Riley stop, and she, Shane and Carl glanced at Rick. He'd lowered his gun and was looking away from Randall. "Take him away" he repeated. Daryl uncrossed his arms, looking at Rick in disbelief, before pulling Randall to his feet.

"Git up" he growled, leading him out of the barn. Randall whimpered as Daryl pushed him. Shane hit the barn door in anger and stormed off, Daryl led Randall past Riley and Carl, who just looked on in shock. Rick looked at Carl, sighing before holstering his gun. Rick walked out of the barn, gesturing to Carl.

"Go with your dad" Riley whispered, letting go of the child. He looked up at Riley. "Go on, I'm coming" she assured him, and he nodded, walking ahead with his father. Riley shut the barn doors before following the Grimes' over to the main campsite.

"We're keeping him in custody for now" Rick informed the group.

"I'm gonna find Dale" Riley sighed in relief, smiling.

"I'll come too" Andrea smiled at her, and they left the group.

"Any idea where he went?" Riley asked as they slowly approached the RV, noticing that Dale wasn't on his usual perch. Andrea shook her head.

"Maybe he went for a walk?" she shrugged, and both of them froze as they heard yelling. Riley's head snapped in the direction of the sound.

"DALE!" she yelled, sprinting off to the other side of the field, she reached the old man in time to see Daryl tackle a walker off of him. "NO!" she screamed.

Dale's stomach had been ripped open, his intestines spilling out of him like Angel Hair pasta. Daryl drove his knife into the walker's skull, throwing its corpse aside

"HELP OVER HERE!" she roared to the others, kneeling down by Dale, cradling his head in her lap. "Oh my god...oh my god...Dale..." she gasped

"Hang in there buddy" Daryl crouched down by Riley and Dale, looking down in horror

"It's gonne be okay...it's gonna be okay" tears spilled from Riley's eyes as Dale gasped for air. The others reached the scene, all of them gasping and panicking. Andrea knelt down on the other side of Dale

"Hang on Dale...hang on" she cried.

"GET HERSHEL NOW!" roared Rick "He needs blood we gotta operate now!"

"listen to me, Dale, please, listen to my voice...WHY ISNT ANYONE GETTING HERSHEL!" Riley screamed at the group

"Dale, we're gonna help, we're here, hold on...just please..hold on" begged Rick. Hershel ran over to everyone

"What happened?" he demanded

"What can we do?" begged Rick

"Dale it's gonna be okay..." Riley tried her best to soothe the old man, who groaned and gasped in pain "Please help him!" she begged

"Can we move him?" Rick's face was white

"He won't make the trip" Hershel shook his head as he looked as the damage

"You have to do the operation here, Glenn, get back to the house!" Rick panicked

"Rick." Hershel grabbed the man by his shoulder. He looked at him and shook his head. Riley sobbed harder. Dale was going to die.

"No...no..no!" she refused to believe it, she cradled Dale's head in her lap, her body shaking with sobs. Everyone wept around them as they realized his fate. Dale groaned and writhed on the grass, his jaw clenching.

"He's suffering..." Andrea sniffed, looking at Riley. "Riley..."

"NO!" she clung to her friend, refusing to let him go.

"Do something!" Andrea begged through tears. Rick drew his gun and pointed it at Dale; Riley threw her body over his.

"NO!" she screamed again, almost hysterical.

"Rick for god's sake get her away from him!" Lori sobbed, Shane and Glenn pulled Riley away, and she sobbed and struggled

"DALE!" she cried as Daryl took Rick's gun from him. It was clear that Rick couldn't bring himself to do what needed to be done. Riley clung to Glenn, weeping as Daryl bent down and brought the gun to Dale's head, flicking the safety off.

"Sorry brother" he mumbled, and the gun shot echoed through the fields.

**Oooooooooooo**

The group held a funeral for Dale the next morning. Riley stood in silence, emotionally numb. Daryl glanced at her. She hadnt said a word to anybody since the night before, not even him. She hadnt eaten, or drank anything, and her eyes werent sparkling. They just seemed….dead. Daryl knew how close she and Dale were, but not even Andrea had taken his death this hard. Riley was dressed in all black, and she had tugged on a worn leather jacket with a black hoodie underneath to protect against the now chilly air. She scuffed her boots against the dirt as Rick spoke. After the funeral, Daryl, Andrea, Shane and T-Dog announced that they were going to check the fences around the farm, to prevent anything happening again.

"I want to come to" Riley's voice was solemn and serious. Daryl frowned at her "Please"

"Are ya sure? Ya havent eaten anyhtin, ya aint righ'"

"Daryl" she said his name in a tone he didn't recognize, and he knew she wasn't to be argued with. He grunted and nodded. She slipped her knife into her boot, and hooked her machete into the holster on her hip. She was walking away from the tent when she noticed her baseball bat propped up against the tree.

"Ya aint used tha' in a while, fer someone who was almost a professional playa…aint it bad fer ya to git outta practice?" Daryl wanted to see her smile, for her to give him some sign that the old her was still there. She sighed and picked it up, spinning it in her hands.

"Mmm" she mumbled, climbing into the back of Otis' blue pickup truck. The ride was silent, Daryl and T keeping an eye on her. The truck came to a stop when they spotted a pack of walkers. Riley hopped out of the truck before Shane had even parked it and stormed towards the walkers. She twirled the baseball bat in her hands, getting a firm grip on it and swinging it with everything she had at the nearest walkers head. The satisfying crunch of its skull breaking was enough to ignite a fire in her. When the walker dropped she brought the bat down over and over until its face was no longer fit enough to be deemed a face. She then turned, swinging her bat around her and knocking down another walker. She placed her boot on its chest, pinning it down, unsheathed her machete and stabbed it repeatedly in the face, grunting with anger. She didn't even notice that everyone else had already killed walkers and were watching her almost in shock. She straightened up once the walker had stilled, wiping some blood from her face and glared back at them. She wiped off her machete on the grass before sheathing it in its holster. She climbed into the back of the truck again without saying a word to anyone, and they drove back to the house in tense silence. Daryl watched his girlfriend intently as she stared out over the fields, her chocolate brown hair flowing in the wind, her white blonde streak of hair gently caressing her face. She pulled it out of her face, tucking it behind her ear and sighed heavily. She glanced at him and he smiled a little bit at her. She smiled half-heartedly before looking away again. Daryl chewed the inside of his cheek, he'd never seen her like this before, and it was almost like she was tuning out. The violent attack on those walkers had shocked and concerned him, as well as Shane, T and Andrea. Riley was good at killing walkers, of course, but the way she'd mutilated those two just now was something they hadn't seen in her before.

Riley could feel eyes on her but she ignored it. She looked out over the fields, shivering slightly in the cold air. The sky was a crystal clear blue, but winter was slowly approaching. She zipped up her leather jacket and pulled up the hood of her hoodie. Her gaze shifted to her boots. She flicked mud from one boot angrily. Dale's death had rocked her to the core. Whilst Daryl snored gently in the night, she'd laid awake for hours, tossing and turning. She had told herself, enough of being weak. For Dale, she would become stronger. No more being saved. _She _would be her own savior. And she wouldn't back down anymore. Dale had always stood up for what he believed in and was never swayed by anyone. She wanted to be like that.

She _needed _to be like that.

When the truck returned to the farm, she hopped out of the back of the vehicle with almost a cat like grace. Rick and Hershel were discussing the group moving into the house for the winter, and for security.

"14 people in one house, gonna be tight" Rick pondered and Hershel shook his head

"Don't worry about that, with the swamp hardening, the creek drying up…"

"With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell" said Maggie and Hershel nodded

"She's right, we shouldve moved you in a while ago"

"All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out towards the road" Rick gestured around "We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines on both sides of the property. T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house, keep track of everyone comin' and goin'"

"What about standing guard?" asked T, frowning at Rick.

"I need you and Daryl on double duty"

"Gotcha" T nodded

"I can stand guard too, anything to lighten the work load for Dar and T" Riley suggested to Rick, who nodded, smiling at the young woman.

"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be" Hershel said, carrying a crate past Rick towards the house.

"What about patrols?" asked Andrea

"Lets get this area locked down first" suggested Rick "After that, Shane'll assign shifts while me and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose"

Shane stared at Rick

"We back to that now?" he drawled and Riley crossed her arms, glaring at him

"Don't start, Shane" she warned and Rick sighed.

"It was the right plan first time around. Poor execution"

"That's a slight understatement" scoffed Shane. Rick stepped towards him

"You don't agree, but this is whats happening. Swallow it. Move on" he said sternly to his friend. Shane looked to Riley before looking back at Rick. Riley's body tensed.

"You know that Dale's death, and the prisoner, that's two separate things, right?" Shane drawled Rick turned fully towards Shane, frowning at him. "You wanna take Daryl as your wing man, be my guest"

"Thank you" Rick said shortly, turning away and walking off

"You got it" Shane growled

"Jealous much?" Riley laughed slightly at how pathetic Shane was being.

"Don't start with me, girl" Shane glared at her.

"Or what?" she spat and Daryl tugged her away, towards their tent.

"Don', he aint worth it" he growled to her as she wrenched herself from his grip

"I'm not a child, Daryl, don't treat me like one" she grumbled

"I aint. Jesus, woman, can' ya see I'm lookin' out fer ya?" he sighed in exasperation. He just wanted her to give him a break. Daryl was exhausted, physically and mentally and he was trying his best to be the boyfriend he thought she wanted him to be.

"I don't need you too, Daryl, I'm 27 fuckin' years old" she sighed, but softened her expression, walking towards him and hugging him. She felt bad for basically ignoring him. She inhaled his scent and immediately felt herself growing calmer.

"Ya are?" Daryl asked and she looked up at him

"Huh?"

"Yer only 27?" he raised an eyebrow

"Yeah..why? How old are you?" she looked up at him in confusion. They'd never asked each other before, to be honest, it wasn't something that had ever sprung to mind. He frowned, mumbling something inaudible. "What was that?"

"37..ah'm 37" he said, sounding embarassed. She stood up on tip toe, kissing his cheek.

"So? I like older men" she smiled slightly and he glared at her

"I aint old"

"Nah, of course not, come on Gran'pa we gots to move into the big house!" she teased, putting on her best 'Daryl' accent. He scowled and began to walk away. "Oh, come on, I was only joking!" she grabbed him and kissed him hard. "You're still the sexiest 37 year old I've ever seen" she mumbled against his lips.

"Yeah?" he smirked, holding her close to him

"Mmmhmm" she mumbled, running her hands down his arms and pushing herself away from him. "Now go, help Rick do…whatever, and I'll move our stuff, okay?"

He grunted in response and walked away. Riley shivered as she heard the purr of his motorcycle revving up. She sighed, taking down their tent, and packing up their things.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome!**

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 17**

Riley carried the last of her and Daryl's things into the house, setting them down in the corner of the dining room. She knelt down and arranged some sort of bed for them.

"Don't be doing anythin' freaky tonight, I'm sleeping over here ya know" T-Dog teased, pointing to his bed across the room. Riley laughed a little, fluffing up the pillows. "Nice to see ya smilin' again, girl" T wandered over and placed his large hand on her shoulder "I know Dale...he meant a lot to ya, I'm sorry"

"Thank you" Riley whispered, placing her hand on her friend's and squeezing it gently

"Anytime. By the way, remind me not to piss you off, ever. Wouldn't want my face to end up like those walkers'" he grinned, and she laughed even more as he walked off. Riley finished arranging her bed and wandered outside. Rick and Daryl were hunched over a map on the porch.

"This little pain in the ass'll be a distant memory" Daryl muttered to Rick, obviously halfway through conversation.

"Good riddance" Riley sighed, sitting on the wooden railing of the porch, smiling at Daryl and Rick. "Our stuff's in the dining room, okay?" she rubbed Daryl's arm and he nodded.

"Carol's putting together some provisions for Randall, enough to last him a few days" said Rick, and Daryl nodded. Riley's head turned at the sound of Shane's car approaching the house. "That thing you did last night…" Rick said to Daryl, referring to Dale's shooting.

"Aint no reason you shoul' do all the heavy liftin'" Daryl drawled, nodding at Rick

"So are you good with all this?"

"I don't see you and I tradin' haymakers on tha side of tha road" Daryl looked up at Rick "Nobody would win that figh'…" Daryl looked around at Shane walking towards the porch "I'mma take a piss" he stood up, twitching his head at Riley, signalling her to leave. She stood up, stretching. She put her hand on Rick's shoulder.

"Dale would appreciate what you're doing" she assured the leader, and he smiled weakly at her, before she left. Daryl had gone inside the house to use the bathroom, so Riley wandered back inside. The women and Carl were all re-arranging the house, setting up their sleeping arrangements. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked Maggie

"Sure, if ya wouldn't mind, the windows need boardin' up, Beth and Jimmy are out there already, but they could use the extra hands" smiled the country girl and Riley nodded.

"Sure thing" she smiled, taking the hammer and nails that Maggie handed her. She joined the young couple outside and got to work.

**Ooooooooooooo**

Once the windows had been done, Daryl and Rick were just about ready to leave. Daryl was loading his crossbow into the back of the truck. Riley walked over and leant against the vehicle.

"Promise me you'll be careful" she muttered, looking at him.

"I'm always careful" he snapped, then looked at her, frowning at him. He sighed "I promise I'll be careful, Jersey, alrigh'?"

Riley smiled

"You havent called me that in a while"

"Tha's cos I like yer real name betta" Daryl smiled, looking around before pulling her into a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. T-Dog cleared his throat, making them break apart quickly. He chuckled at them both blushing.

"Only got so many arrows" he said, handing over a handgun to Daryl. He took it and inspected it closely.

"This Dale's gun?"

T-Dog swallowed, hard.

"Yeah"

Daryl tucked the gun into the back of his pants, sighing.

"Wish I knew where the hell mine was"

Rick walked over to the men and woman, like a man on a mission.

"Ready?" he asked Daryl, who nodded.

"I'll get the package" said T-Dog, walking towards the shed. Riley placed a quick kiss on Daryl's cheek before he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Be careful, Rick" she smiled up to her friend, who nodded in return. "Look after him" she nodded towards Daryl, Rick chuckled.

"Don't worry, I will" he smiled, placing his hand on the door handle of the vehicle. T came running over.

"He's gone!" he yelled and Daryl jumped out of the truck, Rick and Riley stared at T.

"Whaddya mean gone?" growled Daryl

"I went to get him, like I said, and the door was locked, but when I got in there…he'd gone" T panted

"Shit" hissed Rick, running over to the shed. Daryl and Riley were close behind, followed by Andrea and T. They inspected the shed, it appeared like Randall had slipped his cuffs.

"The door…you said it was locked?" Riley frowned at T, who nodded

"Yeah, I put the code in an' everything" he insisted. Riley looked at Daryl, who had a mix of concern and anger on his face. The rest of the group ran over, in a panic.

"What's wrong?!" Lori shouted

"Randall's missing" Riley informed them, Lori stared at her.

"Missing? How?"

"How long's he been gone?" asked Hershel, and Riley shook her head

"It's hard to say"

"The cuffs are still hooked he mustve slipped 'em" Rick emerged from the shed, glancing over the outside of the wooden structure.

"Is that even possible?" asked Carol

"Is it if you've got nothin' to lose" said Andrea, also coming out of the shed.

"The door was secured from the outside…" Hershel looked the door over, as if he needed to reassure himself. The survivors all turned at the sound of Shane's voice coming from the woods.

"RICK! RICK!" he yelled, Riley squinted and noticed he had blood down his face.

"What happened?" demanded Lori

"He's armed! He's got my gun!" Shane roared, walking over to the group

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me, clocked me in the face"

"Alright, Hershel, T-Dog, Riley, get everybody in the house! Glenn, Daryl, come with us!" Rick ordered.

"But-" Riley protested, and Daryl shoved her towards the house

"No!" he growled, loading up his bow "Git inside, stay safe!"

"T, I'm gonna need that gun" Shane asked, holding out his hand

"Just let him go, that was the plan, wasn't it, to just let him go?" asked Carol, fear present in her eyes.

"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front doorstep with a gun" Rick said, harshly

"Don't go out there, y'all know what can happen!" Carol protested, but they ignored her, walking away.

"Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put!" Rick yelled over his shoulder. Riley swallowed as Daryl glanced back at her. She bit her lip, her heart pounding in her chest. He saw the look of worry on her face and nodded reassuringly at her. She nodded back, swallowing her fear.

"Alright, everybody come on! Back in the house!" she yelled, ushering Carol and Maggie into the house.

**ooooooooooooo**

Night fell, and everyone was still waiting for the men to return.Riley peered through the breaks in the boards on the window, but could see nothing, just fields. She sighed and sat on the stool she'd moved next to the window, her foot tapping nervously on the wooden floor. Her fingers began drumming on her thighs as she chewed her lip, hating the wait. Her shotgun was propped up against the stool, as well as her baseball bat, and her machete and hunting knife were in their usual places. She sighed in frustration and grabbed her gun and bat, getting off the stool.

"Whoa, whoa, where are you going?" Lori grabbed her arm as she walked towards the door.

"I cant take this waiting! I'm going after them!" she growled, wrenching her hand away

"No!" Maggie stepped in front of the door. "I wanna be out there just as much as you do, but…we need you here…if we get overrun, you're one of the best shots we have"

Riley glared at Maggie, before sighing again.

"Fine" she mumbled, and walked back over to her spot, resting her gun and bat on the floor. She took to sharpening her knives to pass the time, trying to ignore the twisting, sick feeling in her stomach. She jumped to her feet at the sound of a gunshot, peering out of the window, her eyebrows furrowing. Then another echoed through the fields. "Is anybody hearing that?"

"What?" Andrea looked up from the couch. Riley shook her head.

"Nevermind" she mumbled, peering back out of the window "Something isnt right" she whispered, to herself more than anyone else. She jumped as the back door opened and closed, she turned around and breathed a sigh of relief as Daryl and Glenn entered the room.

"Rick and Shane aint back?" Daryl asked, looking around

"No" said Lori, shaking her head

"We heard a shot" Daryl frowned

"Maybe they found Randall?" mumbled Riley, Daryl shook his head.

"We found him"

"Is he back in the shed?" asked Maggie

"He's a walker" answered Daryl and everyone looked around the room in fear.

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" asked Hershel, in concern.

"No, the weird thing is..he wasn't bit" said Glenn, and Riley frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"His neck was broke" Daryl answered his girlfriend

"So he fought back" said Patricia

"The thing is, Shane and Randall's track were right on top of each other" Daryl rubbed his neck "And Shane aint no tracker, so he didn' come up behind him…they were together"

"Will you please get back out there and find Rick and Shane and find out what on Earth is going on?" Lori approached Daryl, her hands pressed together, begging him.

"You got it" Daryl nodded and left again. Riley sighed and rubbed her temples, grabbing her gun and bat and following him. She opened the front door and saw Daryl standing, staring out at the fields.

"I'm coming with you" she walked up to him, expecting him to argue back. He didn't respond, just carried on squinting at the barn. Riley followed his gaze, leaning forward over the porch to try and see what he was staring at. "Oh my god"

A herd of walkers was making its way towards the house, slowly but surely. But this was bigger than the herd on the highway, there were hundreds of them. Andrea, Glenn and the others made their way out onto the porch, frozen with fear at the sight before them

"Patricia, kill the lights" Hershel hissed

"I'll get the guns" Andrea darted into the house.

"Maybe they'll just pass like they did on the highway? Should we just go inside?" asked Glenn

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don' know about, her that size will rip the house down" Daryl couldn't take his eyes off the herd.

"Carl's gone" Lori ran outside, panting.

"What?!" Riley turned and stared at the older woman

"He..he was upstairs, I cant find him anymore" she panicked

"Maybe he's hiding" suggested Glenn

"He's supposed to be upstairs, I'm not leaving without my boy" Lori clutched her chest in a panic.

"We're not, we're gonna look again, we're gonna find him" Carol reassured her and they went back into the house.

"Shit" hissed Riley, staring back at the herd again. Andrea brought out the guns and everyone grabbed one, Riley reached down and took some shotgun shells, loading up.

"I got the number, it's no use" Daryl said to her, and she carried on loading up. She cocked her gun

"I don't care" she growled

"You can leave if you want" Hershel mumbled, loading up his own gun.

"What about you?" asked Riley, looking at the old man, frowning.

"This is my farm, I'll die here" he said, and Riley nodded.

"Tonight's a good a night as any" said Daryl, loading a blot into his bow.

"We need some sort of plan…we cant just run around shooting willy nilly" said Maggie, chewing her lip nervously.

"We could…we could try and…break up the herd? Take the cars, one driver, one shooter…distract them and maybe we'd have some sort of chance?" Riley pondered and Daryl looked at her, smiling a little and nodding

"Migh' be our only chance" he said

"Oh my god!" Maggie gasped, pointing towards the barn. Riley turned and gasped too; the barn was alight.

"Holy shit" the flames lit up the group's faces

"Come on, we gotta go" Daryl ushered the others towards the cars. Maggie and Glenn paired off in Shane's SUV, T-Dog and Andrea joined forces in Otis' truck, and Jimmy took the RV. Riley watched Daryl heading towards his bike, she ran after him, sitting behind him on the vehicle. "What're ya doin'?" he growled "Git to the RV!"

"No" she said simply "You drive, I shoot"

"Are ya crazy?!"

"Are you deaf? Go!" she yelled, and he growled but didn't argue, as he revved the bike. She wobbled a little but managed to hold her balance as he drove towards the herd, leading the RV and cars towards the barn. Riley took down a few walkers from the back of Daryl's bike, Daryl whooping in celebration. The flames from the barn grew larger and Riley felt the heat as they got closer. Jimmy pulled the RV up to the barn. Rick and Carl emerged from the loft of the barn, jumping onto the roof of the RV. Once they were safe, Daryl turned around and drove around the farm, allowing Riley to take down walkers. He turned a sharp corner and Riley screamed, falling off the back of the bike. She tumbled into the dry dirt, rolling and jumping to her feet. "GO!" she yelled to Daryl who'd stopped the bike. She didn't give him a chance to answer before sprinting towards the house, where the women were all huddled on the porch, Hershel taking down walkers one by one. She sprinted up to the old man and stood by his side, shooting along with him.

"Lori! Hershel! We need to go!" Carol cried, grabbing Beth and Patricia

"I can't find Carl!" Lori wailed

"He's with Rick! They're fine!" Riley turned and faced the women "Go!" The women grabbed each other and ran

"Hershel!" called Lori and the old man ignored her, carrying on firing.

"You need to go!" Hershel shouted at Riley "Protect my family!"

"Hershel-"

"NOW!" the old man roared and Riley didn't argue, running over to the women. She heard screaming and looked over. Patricia was being eaten alive by walkers and Beth refused to let her go. Lori and Carol pulled Beth away and the walkers took Patricia to the ground. Riley fired, shooting the three walkers in their heads. She looked down at a bloody, barely conscious Patricia and swallowed hard, before shooting her in the head. She whirled her head at Carol's screams, Lori, Rick and Carl were in Hershel's SUV and Carol had gotten separated. Andrea ran over just before walkers swooped down on Carol and Riley saw her go down . She sprinted over to Carol and grabbed her arm, both of them sprinting up the farm's dirt track.

"What do we do?!" panicked Carol as they ran for their lives

"Keep running!" Riley yelled, not letting go of the older woman's hand. They ran as far as they could up the track, walkers hot on their tail. Riley heard the roar of Daryl's motorcycle and he pulled up in front of the women.

"I aint got all day!" he yelled over the engine, as Carol ran over and climbed on. She held out her hand for Riley, who swallowed hard and looked at Daryl.

"That bike isn't gonna fit all three of us.." she looked at Daryl, who stared back at her

"Jersey, don't-"

"Go" Riley said simply, looking at them both. "You wont make it unless you leave now!"

"Riley, no! We'll fit!" pleaded Carol, stretching her hand out further. Riley smiled, exhaling as she walked over to Daryl and kissed his cheek.

"I love you" she whispered into his ear "Carol, look after him" she turned, smiling at the both of them.

"Riley.." Daryl's voice broke her heart, pleading with her.

"See ya on the other side" she smiled, flinging her gun over her shoulder and taking her bat from Daryl's bike. She spun it in her hands and before Daryl could grab her, she was sprinting into the midst of walkers. "COME ON YOU UNDEAD MOTHERFUCKERS! BRING IT!" she roared, walking backwards slowly. She glanced over, relieved that Daryl's bike had gone. "See ya, redneck" she whispered.

**Ooooooooooooooo**

Daryl and Carol rode away from the farm, neither of them saying a word. The dawn was breaking as they hit the highway. Daryl spotted Hershel's SUV parked on the highway.

"They made it…" gasped Carol. Daryl grunted in response. He brought the bike to a stop and Carol scrambled off the back, running over to Lori and hugging her tightly. Daryl didn't move, sitting on his bike, staring at the handlebars.

"Oh thank God!" Lori sighed in relief, hugging Carol tightly. Maggie and Glenn had also made it and the Greene's sobbed as they all hugged each other. T-Dog pulled up to the group, smiling as he counted the survivors.

"Where's Andrea? Jimmy? Patricia? Shane?" sniffed Maggie, wiping her eyes. She caught sight of Daryl sitting alone on his bike "Riley?"

"Shane's dead" whispered Lori, glancing at Rick

"Andrea went down…Jimmy and Patricia…they…" Beth sobbed, unable to finish her sentence. The group were shocked at the loss of their people.

"What about Riley?" panicked Lori, holding Carl close to her.

"She…" began Carol, tears welling up "She ran off…Daryl came back for us on his bike and she said…said that the bike wasn't big enough for the three of us.."

"Oh god" Lori felt her knees weaken at the thought of the young woman sacrificing herself for the safety of their group. "Daryl didn't stop her?"

"He tried..we both did…" Carol shook her head sadly, casting a glance towards the broken man. He rubbed his face with his hands, erasing the evidence of tears from his eyes. He stomped towards the group.

"I'm goin' back" he grunted at the group stood on the abandoned highway. "I aint leavin' her behind"

"Daryl.." Rick said gently, stepping towards the crossbow wielder. "We can't spare the fuel"

"So we're just gonna leave 'er out there?!" Daryl roared "An' Andrea too?!"

"Riley made her choice.."

"No…no!" Daryl yelled, kicking the trunk of a nearby car, making them all jump. Everyone looked on as the redneck crouched down, his head in his hands.

"We cant just leave her out there…" Maggie whispered to Glenn, squeezing his hand

"There's no way to find her…or Andrea" the Asian boy sighed, saddened by the loss of his best friend.

"We should move on" Hershel said to Rick, placing a hand on his shoulder "We cant stay here, out in the open"

Rick nodded solemnly, gathering the group. They piled into the cars, starting their engines. Daryl sighed, standing up and glaring at everyone, unable to believe that they could just leave people behind. Especially Riley.

**Ooooooooooooo**

Hershel's SUV ran out of gas in the middle of a country road, and the others pulled up behind him.

"We'll camp here tonight, make a run for supplies in the morning" sighed Rick, running his hand through his hair. Everyone looked at their unofficial leader with doubt. "Look..we found each other.." he glanced at Daryl "Most of us…and…I believe there's a place out there where we can build a new life…we just have to find it"

Daryl scowled at the rest of the group.

"Well, while the rest a ya stand aroun' disccusing ya fairy tale endin', I'm goin' ta look fer Riley" he growled

"Daryl, no, walkers are everywhere, no-one goes out alone" Rick said firmly

"Oh yeah, abou' tha…we foun' ya little prisoner" Daryl snarled at the taller man "Neck was broke, but he turned anyway"

Rick swallowed hard, and proceeded to explain what Jenner had told him at the CDC.

"We're all infected" he said solemnly. The group stared back at him. "No matter how we die, we'll come back as one of them, unless…" he gestures to his head.

"You knew? And you didn't think to tell us?" hissed Carol, glaring at the man.

"I didn't believe him!" Rick protested "And then Shane…Shane turned and I realised it was true."

"Shane?" asked Lori, her eyes wide, Rick nodded.

"Carl put him down"

"WHAT?!" Lori hissed, as Carl retreated into the SUV. The rest of the group began to build a fire, leaving the married couple to their harsh words. Night fell, and the group huddled around the fire, desperate to escape the bitter night air. Twigs snapped and noises echoed in the forest around them, and the group looked around nervously. Daryl drew patterns in the dirt with a bolt, he'd separated himself from the group, wanting to be alone. He was pissed. Pissed that no-one wanted to look for Riley, pissed that she'd run off, pissed at himself for letting her go. He stared at the dirt, blinking hard. He missed her. Carol approached him slowly.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, and he turned around to glare at her "I know you loved her"

"You don' know shit" he hissed, turning his back to her. She was right, although Daryl wouldn't admit it. The older woman sighed and turned from him, walking away. Carol glanced at the trees, the noises from earlier had returned, only they seemed to be closer, and approaching the group slowly. Rick got to his feet, his gun drawn as Lori and Carl stood behind him.

"Oh that's real nice, I missed you guys too" Riley's voice crept out from the trees. She limped out of the forest, breathing heavily. Everyone stood in shock, staring at her. She was covered in dirt, a deep cut on her face and her cargo pants were ripped on one leg. Her machete in her hand was covered in dried blood and the baseball bat in her other hand was considerably dented and probably useless. Daryl turned at the sound of her voice, hardly believing his own eyes.

"Daryl…" she whispered, her eyes meeting his as he stood up and slowly started to make his way over to her. The rest of the group stood back and watched the couple's reunion, smiles on their faces. She dropped her machete and bat as he pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. He pulled back and kissed her on the lips, then and there in front of everyone, not giving a fuck what anyone thought. Tears poured down her dirty cheeks and she smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck as he broke the kiss to hold her again.

"Knew you was gonna make it" he mumbled into her hair.

"Don't I always?" she smiled. He held her at arms length, inspecting the cut on her cheek

"Were ya…"

"No, god, no…I uh..I caught my leg on a tree root" she gestured to her pants "Tripped, fell and my knife form my boot must've gotten loose…it cut my cheek as I landed on the ground"

"How are ya so clumsy?" he smiled, holding her face in his hands. She shrugged, smiling weakly. "Don' ever do tha' to me again, okay? I thought…thought I'd lost you"

"You wont. Ever, I promise" she smiled "I'm tougher than that, remember?" She flexed her arms like she had on the farm. He smiled and pulled her into his arms again.

She was right. He was never going to lose her. He couldn't.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome!**

**I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 18**

_**Eight months later**_

"_Daryl…"_

_Daryl's body stirred in his sleep at the sound of her voice. _

"_Daryl…please…"_

_Her voice made his skin erupt in goosebumps, and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. She wasn't in the tent, she must be outside. He tugged on his jeans and his wife beater, and shivered in the night air as he unzipped the tent, stumbling into the darkness._

"_Riley?" he called, careful not to wake the others. She was stood by the lake, her back to him. He smiled a little at the silhouette of her perfect body. The moonlight reflected in the still waters of the lake, her creamy pale skin almost ghostlike in the night. "Baby…wha are ya doin' out here alone? Its dangerous.."_

_His breath hitched in his throat as she turned slowly to face him. Her belly…it was round…swollen with his child. He walked towards her, desperate to feel his child. He placed his hands on her belly tenderly, his heart swelling with love and pride. He looked up into her eyes and took a step back, his heart stopping._

_Her eyes were white; cold and dead._

"_Baby..?" his voice trembled with fear as he reached out to stroke her cheek. Then he noticed the bite mark on her neck. "No..Riley..baby..no" he took his hands from her and looked down at them, his hands covered in her blood "Fuck!" he screamed, dropping to his knees in front of her._

"_You said you would protect me…our baby…you lied…Daryl…you lied" her voice echoed through his brain, and her words cut him like knives. "You killed us" she whispered and brought the gun to her temple, her finger on the trigger._

"_NO!" he roared as she pulled it._

Daryl shot up, panting, covered in a thin layer of cold sweat.

"Just a fuckin' dream.."he whispered to himself as he felt the warmth of Riley's sleeping body next to him. He laid back down beside her, running his hands over her flat belly. He had no fuckin' idea why he was dreamin' about her being pregnant. They hadn't talked about kids, nothin' of the sort had ever come up whilst they'd been talkin'. He must be crackin', slowly but surely. Bound ta happen eventually. Riley shivered in her sleep and he cuddled closer to her, protecting her from the night air. He glanced over Riley's shoulder, seeing that Rick was still awake and on watch, and the others were asleep around him on the forest floor, and closed his eyes again, his breathing slowing down.

The group had been on the run for eight months now, from house to house, diner to diner. Never stopping, never being in one place for longer than a week. Lori's pregnancy had advanced, and now the poor woman could barely walk, let alone run. Carl had grown up fast, he seemed to have gone from child to young man in the space of a month, and the kid was a damn good shot. Just yesterday, the group thought theyd finally found shelter, permanent shelter, in a housing estate just on the outskirts of the forest they were now sleeping in. But, as they'd found before, the walkers didn't stay away for long.

The sun slowly started to rise, breaking through the trees, an hour or two after Daryl had fallen back asleep. Rick carefully tip-toed over to the sleeping couple to rowse Daryl from his sleep, the group needed food, and it wasn't going to hunt itself. The hunter grunted, slowly opening his eyes. Upon seeing it was Rick who had awoken him, he slowly and carefully unwrapped himself from Riley, making sure not to wake her. The woman sighed in her sleep and tugged the blanket over herself. Daryl pulled on his boots and grabbed his bow, and the two men disappeared into the woods.

**Oooooooooooooo**

Carol gently shook Riley awake at around eight. Riley stretched and panicked at the empty space next to her, then remembered that he was hunting with Rick and composed herself. Although it had been eight months since she'd found out Rick's secret he was keeping from them all, she was still uneasy around him, and didn't like Daryl being his right hand man now. Shaking her thoughts away, she pulled on her boots and her now worn leather jacket with her hoodie underneath and stood up, heading to the lake to splash some water on her face. She bent down, her knees of her jeans stiff with dirt; they'd been on the run for so long she'd forgotten all about laundry and clean clothes, Daryl was the same. She winced at the ice cold water on her skin, it woke her up immediately. She stared at her reflection in the water after it settled. Her chocolate hair was longer, she had to sweep her bangs sideways now, and her roots were creeping further along the bleached part of her hair, the tips settling on her more defined collarbones. Her cheekbones were more prominent now, thanks to lack of food and increase of physical activity, and her arms were slender, the bones in her wrists protruding and her muscles were more defined, but not massive. She wasn't butch or anything, just….athletic now. She smiled slightly as she thought about what Daryl had said about her body shape now.

"_Thank god ya aint losin' yer tits or yer ass, wouldn't have nothin' to play wit'…or spank"_

Her body shivered at the thought of him, the thought of _them._ Together. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her from her thoughts.

"What's goin' on in tha' pretty lil head of yers?" Daryl's breath was warm against her neck, and she shivered, giggling a little as he kissed the sensitive skin. She turned around to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

"Nothing, just…daydreaming" she smiled, kissing his lips softly. She ran a hand through his shaggy hair "You gotta let me cut that"

"Aint a chance in hell, woman" he grinned, taking her hands from his hair. "Come on, managed to find some bird's eggs…they'll do fer breakfast, then we're on the move again…me and Rick…we found somewhere, think it might be safe"

"Really? Where?" Riley linked her fingers through his as they walked slowly back to the camp, she looked up at him, curious.

"A prison" muttered Daryl "Just through the forest…untouched"

"You're sure?"

"Well, we aint gunna know till we get closer, but if there are any walkers around, there aint a lot" Daryl drawled as they sat down around the fire where Carol was frying the eggs. Riley relished her breakfast, even though it was simple, and small, it was the best thing she'd eaten in weeks. After breakfast, the group packed their things, and followed Rick and Daryl to their new shelter. Riley swallowed, wondering how long they would last in this place. As they got closer, the more Riley felt uneasy. The prison was huge, dark and looming in the GA countryside. Walkers roamed the grounds, and Riley couldn't shake the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't even inside and she already wanted to leave. She drew her machete as Rick cut through the fence, holding it open for the rest of the group to climb through. Once they were all in, Daryl and Glenn tied the fence back together, so they couldn't be followed. The group sprinted towards the prison gates.

"Someone..someone needs to close the gates on the other side" Rick panted, and the group followed his eyeline. The prison yard was full of walkers.

"I'll do it" Riley said, without even hesitating. Daryl opened his mouth to argue, and then thought better of it. He had learned that Riley was stubborn, and that she was more than capable of handling herself. She hated it when he tried to baby her. Rick nodded, and handed her his rifle. She shook her head and pushed it away. "I'll be fine" she held up her machete, the blade reflecting the sunlight. "Cant risk the ammo" she mumbled

"Okay…we need to distract the walkers…Glenn, T, Beth, Maggie and I will call them over to the fences, we can take them down from there…Carol, Daryl, Hershel and Carl…get up into the guard towers…shoot the ones that aren't distracted by us, keep them away from Riley" Rick thrust some chains into Riley's hands. She smiled a little at him before slipping through the gate. She moved slowly, trying to avoid drawing attention to herself. The group at the fence yelled and rattled the wire, and the undead slowly started to shuffle towards them. Riley crept forward, the gunshots from the towers distrascting the walkers even more. A female walker caught Riley's scent, and stumbled towards her, its decaying arms outstretched and its jaws snapping, desperate to taste her warm, sweet flesh. Riley grabbed it around the throat and thrust her machete into its skull, avoiding the black, sludgy blood that trickled from its wound as it went down. Riley bent down and wiped the blade on the grass before sprinting for the gate. Four more walkers turned and followed her. One grabbed her arm, and she whirled around, decapitating two of them at once. She stomped furiously at the stray heads with her boots, and when she was satisfied they were down once and for all, she thrust her machete sideways, driving it straight through the third walkers eye socket. It slumped to the floor. She chuckled to herself and turned on the last one, stalking towards it, spinning her blade in her hands. She kicked out hard, sending the walker flying, and impaling its skull on a stray piece of thick wire from the fence. "Ouch" she hissed, chuckling some more. She secured the prison gates successfully, and then ran to another guard tower, drawing her .44 Magnum that she'd acquired from one of the many houses theyd raided, and picked off the last remaining walkers. The group celebrated as they walked around the field, and they pulled the cars up to the first set of gates.

Night drew in, and now that they'd taken and secured the prison yard, the group sat in the grass under clear, starry skies, for a fireside meal. Riley hugged her knees to her chest, staring into the fire, the heat caressing her face. Daryl stood away from the group, his arms folded as he kept watch. Riley felt something bump her shoulder. She turned and looked up to see Glenn, grinning with Dale's acoustic guitar in his hand.

"I couldn't leave this behind" he placed it in her lap "Not with it being Dale's and all…and how good you are at playing.." he grinned sheepishly.

"Sing us something" Carl spoke up from next to his mother. Lori stroked her stomach and smiled at the young woman

"Yeah…its been so long since we heard music…I missed your show at the CDC"

"Only if Beth and Maggie help out" Riley smiled at the sisters who nodded, smiling back. Daryl moved back over and sat beside Riley, eager to hear her voice. He'd forgotten what she sounded like, the CDC was so long ago and he wasn't exactly sober that night. She quickly tuned the guitar as best she could, clearing her throat "Well, I hope you guys know this one or else I'm going solo"

Daryl watched in awe as her fingers plucked at the strings flawlessly. She smiled at him before beginning to sing.

"I took my love and I took it down  
I climbed a mountain and I turned around  
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills  
'Till the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky  
What is love?  
Can the child within my heart rise above?  
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?  
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changing  
'Cause I've built my life around you  
But time makes you bolder  
Children get older  
I'm getting older too"

Riley sang, her voice echoing around the group, and she smiled as Beth and Maggie joined in, harmonising with her.

"Well, I've been afraid of changing  
'Cause I, I built my life around you  
But time makes you bolder  
Children get older  
I'm getting older too  
I'm getting older too

So, take my love, take it down  
Oh climb a mountain and turn around  
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills  
Well the landslide will bring you down, down

And If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills  
Well maybe the landslide will bring it down  
Oh oh, the landslide will bring it down"

The three women finished singing and the group beamed at them. Riley's face blushed a little as Daryl squeezed her knee in appreciation. Hershel clapped, smiling at his daughters.

"The best entertainment we've had all year" he laughed, kissing Beth on her head.

"Everyone loves Fleetwood Mac…though I think we sounded more like the Dixie Chicks" Riley grinned, strumming the guitar absent mindedly. She played the intro to Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters' as the group chatted quietly around the fire. As much as she didn't like the prison at first, for the first time in months she felt safe. She felt like they had a chance here. Maybe she should restore some of that trust in Rick that she once had. Rick offered to take watch as the group retired for the night. Daryl offered his hand to Riley, helping her up and they made their way over to their sleeping bags. Riley set the guitar down next to her sleeping bag, and winced slightly.

"Wha's wrong?" Daryl frowned at her.

"The kick from the Magnum…I'm still not used to it" she winced, trying to rotate her stiff shoulder.

"Siddown" he grumbled and she did as she was told, sitting on their 'bed'. He knelt down behind her and placed his large hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently but firmly where she needed it. She closed her eyes and smiled, relaxing into his touch, her skin erupting in goosebumps. It had been so long since they'd touched each other, they stole kisses whenever they could, a make out session here and there, but everytime they'd tried to do it, they were always interrupted by someone, or something and it was killing both of them.

"Mmmm, Dare, that feels good" she mumbled, keeping her voice to a minimum so the others wouldn't hear.

"Don't say ma name like tha', gerl, ya know what it does to me" he growled, bringing his lips close to her ear, making her shiver. "Want you so bad" he whispered as she leaned into him.

"Me too" she whined as he placed a kiss on her neck when he finished massaging her. He sighed.

"Aint nothin' we can do fer now…git into bed Missy" he smirked at her as she giggled a little and climbed into the sleeping bags. He climbed in next to her and she snuggled up, resting her head on his chest, her hand stroking his stomach over his shirt. "Ya best stop that" he mumbled

"Stop what?" she grinned up at him, innocently, slowly moving her hand further down and stroking the skin above the waistband of his jeans. He growled a little as she dipped her hand under the waistband of both his jeans and boxers, taking him into her hand, stroking him slowly.

"Dammit woman" he pulled her hand out quickly, rolling onto his side and spooning her, his erection poking her in the ass. "I aint cummin' in my pants like a teen, alrigh'? So now yer gonna have ta sleep with this all night" he moved his hips slightly and she giggled again.

"I'm not complaining" she smiled, kissing his hands that were around her and drifting off to sleep.

**Oooooooooooooo**

The next morning, after sleeping in the grass, the group devised a plan to take the prison. Rick, Daryl, Glenn, T, Maggie and Riley advanced into the interior grounds of the prison, whilst the others distracted the remaining walkers at the fence. The six adults moved in swift and tight formation, taking down anything that got in their way. Riley and Maggie broke away from the group to attack two walkers in riot gear, Maggie cheering, a proud grin on her face as she drove her knife up under the walkers helmet, killing it.

"Did ya see that?!" she yelled at Glenn who smiled at her. Riley chuckled before tackling the other walker to the floor, ripping off its helmet (and desperately trying to keep her breakfast down) and bringing her machete down repeatedly into the walkers face.

"And stay down, motherfucker" she panted as she climbed off of it. Daryl smirked at her, he was proud. They made their way further into the prison, under Rick's instruction. Daryl pulled open the small door and they crept into the dark building, the doors creaking and banging shut behind them. Riley looked around her at the cell block, it was abandoned alright. Paper and other rubbish littered the floor, and it was deathly quiet. Rick slowly ascended the stairs into the guard tower, coming across a guard who had shot himself in the head, and he took the keys from his belt. He unclocked the gates, and they swung open, and the group stepped into a cell block. Riley glanced in one of the cells, and heaved. A prisoner was in there, decomposing away. She swallowed hard and kept close to Daryl, following him upstairs. A loud bang made him, her and Rick all jump, and they followed the noise, walking past a cell where dead, decaying hands reached out to them, growls erupting from behind the bars. Daryl lifted his crossbow to avoid them, and Riley slid past easily. The next cell was the same, and Daryl and Riley looked at each other, before they brought their knives up and finished off the prisoner walkers, throwing them over the balcony to the ground below, where T stod with his hands on his hips, and then proceeded to drag the body away as the others made their way in with their belongings.

"Whaddya think?" asked Rick, meeting the rest of the group

"Home sweet home" said Glenn.

"For the time being" Riley hung over the balcony to greet the group

"It's secure?" asked Lori

"This cell block is" answered Rick, looking at his wife

"What about the rest of the prison?" asked Hershel, hobbling in after Beth

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and the infirmary" said Rick

"We sleep in the cells?" asked Beth nervously

"Found keys on some guards, Daryl has a set too" Rick reassured the young girl

"I aint sleepin' in no cage, I'll take the perch" Daryl mumbled and walked over to it. Riley frowned at him, approaching him.

"Dare.." she started and he looked at her

"What?"

"These cells have beds…real beds in them…they're kinda private…" she looked at him as he registered what she was saying. He frowned and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Riley…I cant sleep in one of them things"

"Yeah, and I'm not sleeping without you, so make a choice" she folded her arms, leaning against the cold wall. "Why don't you just try it for a few nights? And then if you don't like it, we'll move out here, but you need to build some sort of…screen for us so we have some privacy, I'm pretty sure no-one wants a show" she smirked and he chuckled, and then sighed again.

"Fer fuck's sake woman, I cant say no to ya" he growled, pushing her into the cell she was nearest to, up on the balcony. There was only one single bed in it. "We aint sleepin' in a bed that small…" Riley pushed past him and peered into the cell next door.

"Theres another one in here" she looked back at him and he nodded, and together, they moved the extra bed into their cell, pushing it with the other to make a double bed. The two beds didn't leave much room in the cell, but they didn't care. Riley threw her bags at the end of the bed and flopped down, sighing in appreciation. "It's actually okay" she sat up on her elbows, looking at Daryl, who was standing at the end of the bed, looking around slightly nervously at the cell. She caught his eye and gave him a sexy smile

"Come here, redneck, I'll make you feel better" she said a low, sultry voice, coaxing him with her finger.

Daryl Dixon had never moved so fast in his life.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and follows, please keep reviewing as it spurs me on **** I really wanna hear your opinions! Also I apologise for not updating as often as I used to, I've been super busy and I normally only get to write at the weekends, but I'll try harder!**

**In this chapter, I'm changing things a little, and letting Hershel keep his leg (cos I hated that scene, I love Hershel and him being in so much agony really sucked **** )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**SMUT WARNING, DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE ;) (I mean…come on…its been way too long for them , right?)**

**Chapter 19**

Riley giggled as Daryl lept towards her on the bed, pinning her down and kissing her hard. She moaned a little, tugging his hair gently. He pulled away from her, both of them panting.

"Yer gonna have ta be quiet if we're gonna do this…as hard as that is fer ya" he grinned, kissing her neck and sucking on the spot that he knew drove her nuts. She clawed at his shirt clad back, her hips rising up to meet his. He groaned and muttered in her ear "I know I cin make ya scream, gerl"

"You know…I think you're all talk, Dixon" she whispered seductively, grinning at he pulled away and scowled at her

"Yer in trouble now" he growled and his hands went straight to her jeans.

"Wait…wait.." she breathed, pushing him off of her and grabbing some of the spare blankets they had, throwing them across the cell door, blocking them from view of anyone who could walk past. Daryl laid on the bed, his arms behind his head, watching Riley as she turned around to look at him. She grinned wickedly at him, her baby blue eyes locked on his. She peeled of her shirt slowly, exposing her pale flesh inch by inch, torturing him. Once her shirt was off, he groaned in appreciation of her deep red lacy bra, one of his favourites. She brought her hand to her shoulder, and let one finger trail down her body, running over her breasts, down her stomach and stopping at the waistband of her jeans, all the time she never took her eyes from his. Daryl's breath hitched in his throat as she turned around and pulled her jeans down slowly, dragging the denim over her perfect ass. Riley looked over her shoulder at him as she pulled the jeans off completely, the matching deep red lace thong now fully visible. Daryl sat up on his elbows to get a better look, his dick straining almost painfully against his zipper.

"Get over here" he growled deeply and she obeyed, crawling on top of him and straddling his crotch. His lips immediately found her collarbone, licking and gently nibbling it, the way he knew she loved it.

"Is there something you want?" she whispered innocently as his hands cupped her ass.

"You" he mumbled against her skin, biting back a groan as she ground down on his crotch.

"Hmm..all you had to do was ask" she whispered "Why do you still have clothes on?"

He barely opened his mouth to answer when she shoved him back on the bed. She ripped his shirt open, the buttons flying everywhere as she threw the useless material across the cell. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Didn't like that one anyway, too much sleeve"

He chuckled at her answer, his mirth muffled as she pressed her lips to his gently. Riley then kissed his jaw, his neck, his collarbone and down his chest. She trailed light kisses over his pectorals, her tongue darting out to flick over the left nipple, before trailing back down to his stomach. Riley shuffled herself down his legs a bit, and he groaned at the loss of contact between their crotches. She licked the skin above his jeans slowly, much like she did their first night together at the CDC, and his hips bucked a little. She pinned him down with one hand, whilst the other one expertly flicked open the button on his jeans, and unzipped the zipper. They both wiggled him out of his jeans, and Riley bit her lip at the sight of his black boxers, tented with his excitement. She wrapped her hand around the fabric covered stiffness and Daryl's head fell back onto the pillows as she rubbed a little. She smirked to herself and pulled the annoying barrier down, exposing him fully to her for the first time in…god knows how long. She bent down, her hair tickling his lower stomach, and licked up his length, dragging her tongue along the smooth skin slowly, making him cry out.

"Aw, _fuck!_" he groaned as she took him into her mouth, swallowing him down straight away. His fingers combed through her hair, his hips bucking up to meet her mouth. She hummed around him and he let out a strangled moan. "_God.._you're so fuckin' amazin'" he breathed "_Ah!_ Fuck…baby..stop.." he pulled her off of him, immediately regretting it, but if he didn't, it would be over before he'd even started. He kissed her hard, his tongue gently rubbing against hers as his hand travelled to her back, unhooking her bra and casting it aside. She laughed at the desperation of his actions as she laid back on the bed, tangling her fingers in his hair as his lips attached to her nipple. He sucked and licked the sensitive bud gently, her back arching off the mattress. A gasp escaped her when he grazed his teeth over it and bit down.

"Daryl.." she whined, desperate to feel him inside her. He wasn't gonna be asked twice. He pulled down that fucking thong and didn't hesitate before slamming into her warm centre. They both groaned in pleasure, it had been too fucking long. Enveloped in her tight, wet heat, he began to move. "Oh god…you feel so good" her nails raked down his back, and Daryl hissed, pushing deeper into her, pressing their mouths together to swallow down her moans and curses.

"God damn…missed this.." he panted as they broke apart "Forgot how wet you got fer me"

"Oh god!" she called out as she felt the familiar sensation building up in her lower region as Daryl continued to whisper filthy things in her ear, plunging harder and faster into her. He reached down between them and stroked her clit roughly, desperate to feel her fall apart around him.

"Come on baby…come fer me…wanna feel ya come around my cock.." he grunted, and that was it. Hearing him say that…her thighs clenched around his legs and a broken cry escaped her lips as she came, hard, tightening around him, drawing blood from his shoulders where her nails dug in. Daryl moaned at the flood of wetness, and the spasms around him, but he didn't want to finish yet, not now, it was too soon. Riley panted, her body shaking from the sheer force of the best orgasm she'd had in her life and pulled Daryl down for a kiss. When they broke apart, he placed her legs over his shoulders, kissing her ankles before starting up his rhythm again. Riley hissed and gripped thesheets, twisting them in her hands; the new angle meant he could go deeper, and harder, and already she felt another release building up.

"God…Daryl…please…"

"Gonna cum fer me again, angel?" he panted, his length brushing past a spot that made her toes curl and her eyes almost roll back in her head. "Close…cum with me.."

"Yeah…yeah..oh _fuck!_" she cried as another orgasm took her by surprise, her back arched and Daryl lost it, his body stilling as he emptied himself into her, her name escaping his lips in a deep groan. They led together for a few minutes, waiting for their breathing and heart rates to return to normal, and Daryl pulled himself out, rolling off Riley and lying next to her, throwing their other blanket over their naked bodies. He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him, her head resting against his chest.

"I love you" he mumbled, his chest vibrating against her ear. Riley smiled, tilting her chin up to kiss him lightly. He pulled away, frowning a her a little "If all this.." he gestured around the cell "If the worl' hadn't gone ta shit…ya reckon we-"

"Daryl, don't" Riley put her fingers over his lips, silencing him "I don't know how this happened, you don't know how this happened, but….I couldn't be happier…"

"Really?" something in Daryl's voice made her alert to the fact that he didn't believe her.

"Yes. I love you" she kissed him again "So much. After…Dave…I didn't think I could ever love someone again..but you…from the moment I met you…and after everything we've been through…God" she inhaled shakily "You saved my life Daryl, and now you _are_ my life"

Daryl looked down at her and wiped the stray tear from her cheek, kissed her head and held her even closer to him. His heart thumped in his chest. No woman had ever said that to him, ever. He felt exactly the same way about her, and it was the best feeling in the world. He ran his fingers through her hair as her breathing slowed and her body relaxed as she fell into a deep sleep. He stared at the ceiling of the cell, feeling more relaxed than he thought he would, and he allowed his eyelids to flutter shut as he too gave into sleep.

**Oooooooooooooo**

Riley awoke a few hours later to the sound of everyone else clattering around the cell block. She yawned and stretched, smiling as she looked at Daryl, who was still in a dead sleep, laid on his stomach and snoring snoftly. She left him in bed and got dressed, frowning at her dirty tshirt she was about to pull on. She shrugged, figuring she could wash it later, Carol was bound to have found some sort of laundery facility.

"You plannin' on sneakin' out?" Daryl's sleepy voice made her turn around and she smiled at him. He was so cute when he woke up.

"Maybe" she grinned, throwing his clothes at him. "Get up, sounds like we got some work to do"

They left their cell, and walked down to the lower level, hand in hand. Maggie caught Riley's eye and winked at her, and Riley immediately felt her cheeks flush. Obviously they hadn't been as quiet as they thought they'd been. Glenn waggled his eyebrows at her and she flipped him off behind Daryl's back. Once the entire group was together, Rick told them that he wanted to find the cafeteria and infirmary before night fall so they had some food and basic medical equipment. Riley, Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn, Maggie and Hershel volunteered to help out, whilst Carl stayed behind to guard the other women. Riley slide her machete into the holster on her thigh and her trusty hunting knife was in her boot, as usual. The group locked the cell block door behind them and made their way further into the prison. Rick led the group to a small room full of weapons, including riot gear. Daryl picked up a helmet, grimacing in disgust as he tipped it upside down and black gunk fell out of it.

"I aint wearin' this shit…made it so far without it" he drawled, and Rick nodded, picking up a warden's baton. "Ri…grab somethin'"

"I'm good" Riley gestured to her thigh and Daryl smirked

"Sexy" he mouthed to her and she blushed a little. "At least take another baseball bat" he held a wooden one out to her and she took it sighing.

"Yes Dad" she laughed as they exited the room. They proceeded further into the prison, the corridors pitch black with the lack of electricity. Hershel shone a flashlight ahead of the group as they moved swiftly but quietly, marking their path with arrows on the walls. Riley swallowed hard, the never ending darkness making her pulse race. She hated the dark, it reminded her so much of that dingy basement back in Jersey. But she couldn't let that get to her now. Rick threw out an arm to the group, signalling them to stop. Riley's heart sunk as she heard the shuffles, the moans. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her machete as Hershel shone the light up and ahead.

"Fuck" she breathed as the large group of inmate walkers turned their heads to the light and began to shuffle towards the survivors.

"There's too many" Hershel whispered

"Bull" said Daryl, drawing his bow and firing a bolt into the nearest walkers head. The men, minus Hershel, darted forward to hack and beat down the first wave of walkers. Riley, Hershel and Maggie hung back to guard the back, and Riley jumped at Maggie's screech as another group of walkers jumped them from behind. Hershel yanked his daughter out of the dead hands and Riley put it down.

"Rick! We've got more company!" she yelled as they regrouped. "We cant fight them all off!"

"Keep pushing forward!" Rick bellowed, and they all sprinted along the corridors, none of them knowing where they were going.

"The doors!" Glenn yelled, pointing towards a set of double doors just ahead of them. They burst through them, and Glenn and Riley barricaded the doors. The group sat on the floor, panting. Riley slide her back down the door, her butt coming into contact with the floor as she rested her head in her hands.

"Well…we found the cafeteria" Rick panted, standing in the middle of the room with his hands on hips, looking around. Daryl was scowling at him from his position on the floor.

"Down" he growled to the cop, who didn't question him as he ducked to the floor, Daryl rose up, his bow drawn, the flashlight attached the Horton shining in the window to the store room.

"Holy shit!" a voice called out from behind the glass, and the rest of the group jumped to their feet, spinning to look in the direction the voice came from. Riley squinted and saw five figures standing behind the glass. All men, all prisoners. As they came out from the store room, it was clear that they had no idea what was going on, both inside and outside of the prison. A Latino man, by the name of Tomas, was given a gun by one of the prison guards when the 'riots' broke out, and Riley immediately felt uncomfortable around him. The way he spoke..the way he leered at her…it just gave her the heebie jeebies.

"So, _mamacita_, where are you sleepin'?" he purred, sliding closer to her. Her body shivered in disgust.

"Nowhere near you" Daryl growled, stepping inbetween Tomas and Riley.

"She yours?" Tomas sneered

"Yep" Daryl answered shortly and it was clear that the conversation was over. Daryl laced his fingers with Riley's and pulled her along with him, keeping her close. The Atlanta group left the prisoners alone, heading back to the cell block to tell everyone where the cafeteria was. As they reached the cell block, the prisoners made to follow them into the block.

"The hell you think you're goin'?" Daryl growled, pointing his crossbow at the men.

"Cell block C, that's my block, you gonna let me in?" Tomas growled back

"Tomas, man, we can clear out one of the other blocks" the tall black man, named Big Tiny, tried to reason with him.

"Why don't you listen to your friend?" Riley sneered, standing to the side of Daryl

"_Vete a la mierda, puta_" he spat and Riley leapt at him, managing to land a punch to his face before Daryl grabbed her and hoisted her away "_Puta de mierda!_" he bellowed, covering his nose which was now pouring with blood. Big Tiny and another inmate named Oscar held him back as he tried to get to Riley.

"I took Spanish in highschool asshole" she spat as Daryl's grip tightened on her waist, and he chuckled at the sight of the blood.

"The hell is going on out here?!" Rick bellowed as he took in the sight before him. Everyone else dashed out to see what was going on.

"Look, we don't want any trouble" the quieter, kinder one of the inmates, Axel, stepped forward "We'll just clear out another cell block"

"We'll help, in exahcnge for half of the food from the cafeteria" Rick bargained, and the prisoners nodded, except Tomas, who just continued to glare at Riley, who blew him a kiss. He growled and stalked away with the other prisoners.

"Will ya quit it?" Daryl hissed at her as they walked with Rick and T to help clear out Cell Block B. "Ya know yer just windin' him up"

"it's fun" she shrugged and walked ahead of him.

**Ooooooooooooo**

"I said open one!" Rick roared as Tomas, as he flung open the double doors and a herd of walkers spilled through and into the room. The group had suffered a loss on their way to the other cell block; Big Tiny had been scratched and Tomas had savagely killed him without a second thought, and now Rick and Daryl needed to get rid of him.

"Shit happens!" roared Tomas, before hacking away at a walker. Riley swung her machete into the head of a nearby walking, slicing it in half, and out of the corner of her eye she spotted Tomas swinging his weapon at a walker, narrowly missing Rick. She then yelled in shock as Tomas shoved a walker on top of the cop, and she dashed over to him, sinking her blade into the walker's skull and helping Rick up. Riley took a step back, panting, as they all stood in silence, the last of the walkers dropping to the floor. She turned to Tomas, who was closer behind her than she was comfortable with.

"The fuck is your prob-" he cut her off by grabbing her around the waist and pulling her towards him, his gun to her temple.

"Here's my problem, _puta_, I'm getting' a little tired of your mouth. So, here's the deal" he glanced at Rick and T, who were restraining Daryl. "You're gonna let us into Cell Block C, and you're gonna let us keep whatever food we want. This is _our_ prison,_ gilipollas_, and you're gonna do as I say. Got it?" he tilted his head so he could breathe in Riley's ear "Now, you gonna put that mouth to better use, _mamacita_?"

"Fuck you" she grunted, struggling against his hold.

"Wrong answer" he grinned, pressing the gun against her chest and pulling the trigger.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and follows, please keep reviewing as it spurs me on **** I really wanna hear your opinions! Also I apologise for not updating as often as I used to, I've been super busy and I normally only get to write at the weekends, but I'll try harder!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Chapter 20**

Riley's limp body crashed to the floor and Daryl let out a sound like a wounded animal, wrenching himself from Rick and T and leaping onto Tomas, pinning him down to the floor. T rushed over to his friend's small body and dropped to his knees.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Daryl roared, landing hard punches into Tomas' face, and suprsingily, none of his cell mates stopped him, they just all looked on in horror at the girl on the floor, and the rapidly growing puddle of blood spreading from the hole in her chest. Rick pulled Daryl off of Tomas, the Spaniard's face almost unrecognisable where Daryl's fist had landed repeatedly. Daryl growled as Rick pulled Tomas up, and without hesitating, rammed his knife through his eye, twisting it and killing him instantly. He threw Tomas' body aside and turned to the other prisoners, breathing hard.

"Get rid of him, and then get out of here. Any of you cross our territory, and the same will happen to you." Rick growled, in a voice the others had never heard him use before.

"Woah…l-look man..we didn't have a-anything to do with that…with her..at all" Axel said, his face pale from shock as he watched Daryl scoop Riley up in his arms.

"Yeah..we didn't even like Tomas! We can-"

"GO!" Rick cut Oscar off by bellowing at him, before turning to his group.

"Rick we need to go. Now" T said, his hands covered in Riley's blood.

"Is she..?" Rick asked softly, his blood running cold at the sight of her limp body, her shirt wet and dark with blood.

"No, her pulse is barely there though" T looked down at his hands.

"Can we all stop talkin' about how ma gerl got SHOT an' actually do somethin' bout it?!" Daryl yelled, his voice cracking a little. Rick swallowed and they all sprinted back towards the cell block.

"HERSHEL!" Daryl bellowed as they got to the cell block gate. Carl ran towards the gate, the keys in his hands, and he dropped them at the sight before him. Riley was in Daryl's arms, her body lipm and her skin pale, her lips almost blue. Her tshirt was soaked with blood and there was a very obvious hole in her chest. Daryl's arms and shirt was drenched with her blood.

"Dad…?" he said weakly

"Carl, open the gate!" the older Grimes ordered and Carl nodded frantically, picking up the keys and opening the gate. Everyone rushed out.

"Oh my god!" squeaked Beth

"Is she…what happened?!" Lori gasped, her hands clapping to her mouth

"Our friendly inmates" growled T

"We need to get her to the infirmary…I cant treat her here" Hershel studied Riley in Daryl's arms. The group looked around anxiously at each other.

"Come on!" Daryl growled "She's dyin here!"

"I know where it is" Carl said quietly, and nobody thought to question how or why, but Daryl followed the young boy as he sprinted away, leading them down a small, light corridor and through double steel doors, into the infirmary.

"Daryl, put her on the operating table!" roared Hershel, as he, Rick, Beth, Maggie and Glenn burst through the doors, quickly followed by everyone else. Daryl laid her gently on the steel surface, her head rolling to the side. His hands were covered in blood and he felt sick to his stomach, his heart pounding in his chest. He clutched her cold hand.

"Come on Jersey, don't you leave me" he begged her, as Hershel checked her pupils with a flashlight "Is she gonna die?" he asked the old man quietly

"The bullet missed her heart but she's lost so much blood…her pulse is barely detectable" Hershel sighed, as Maggie handed him whatever medical supplies she could find. Hershel balled up some cloth and pressed it directly to the bullet wound. "Daryl, I need to you put pressure on the wound"

Daryl nodded, swallowing hard, and doing as Hershel instructed. He pressed down as hard as he could.

"Come on baby, don' leave me.." he begged her, his voice barely above a whisper. If she…if she died…he wasn't sure how he would carry on. He couldn't do this without her…he didn't want to. "I love you…you promised…come on baby..Jersey…" he begged her until his voice was hoarse. The guilt washed over him as Hershel pushed him aside to inspect the wound. He let this happen. He should've protected her more. This was his fault.

"The bullet went clean through…shes incredibly lucky…I can clean out the wound ..and sew it up…Maggie…I'm going to need your help"

"Sorry, Daryl" she said quietly as he backed away, sinking into the corner as he watched the Greene's work. He swallowed back bile as Hershel began to sew her wound closed, but he wasn't leaving. He turned his back for a second, unable to watch, it hurt too much. He then paced the floor as Maggie gently rolled Riley over so her father could sew the exit wound shut. Once they were done, Hershel washed his hands and Maggie placed a hand on Daryl's shoulders. "None of this was your fault"

"I should'a stopped him" Daryl whispered, looking at the floor. "I-"

"Daryl. Stop. Look, we've patched her up the best we can, she just needs you right now. Be with her. Her pulse is still weak, but call us when she wakes up. She'll need you to be there to calm her down, no doubt the pain will make her go into shock"

"So..shes gonna be okay?" Daryl asked weakly, feeling like his knees would give way any second. Maggie smiled and nodded.

"Shes incredibly lucky" Hershel said as they bandaged her up. Daryl lifted her gently into one of the hospital type beds, as the Greene's left the room.

"Thank you" Daryl called after them, his voice weak with emotional exhaustion. Maggie and her father stopped in the doorway, smiling at Daryl, before leaving the room. Daryl slid into the chair next to the bed, clasping her hand again and kissing it softly. He rested his forehead on the bed, swallowing hard before allowing a few tears to slip down his cheeks. Before he knew it, he was sobbing into the mattress, clutching her hand tightly. He'd let her down.

Everyone took it in turns to check in on Daryl, trying to persuade him to get some air, or walk around for a while, to ease his mind, but he refused. He didn't eat. He didn't drink. And he didn't close his eyes, despite the exhaustion, for fear of not being aware of when she woke up. Cos she had to wake up, right?

"Daryl…" Rick's voice echoed across the cold room

"Don'" he growled "I'm aint leavin' her"

"You need to eat, or at least drink something. If anything happens, you're the one who can protect us the best"

"Guess yer gonna hafta learn to take care of yerselves whilst my _girlfriend_ is unconscious from a fuckin' gun shot" Daryl muttered, not turning to look at Rick, but staring intently at Riley's peaceful face. Rick placed a hand on Daryl's tense shoulder.

"Please. For Riley. You know she wouldn't want you to push yourself away from the group like this"

Rick knew it was a low blow, and he felt Daryl tense even more as he said it, but it was the only way to get through to him. Daryl sighed.

"Whaddya want me ta do?"

"Eat something. Then Glenn and T were going to make a supply run into town, it'll do you some good to get out of here for a while" Daryl opened his mouth to argue "I'll sit with her. I wont leave her I promise"

Daryl grunted in response, loosening his grip on Riley's cold hand. He sighed again before nodding, letting go of her hand completely, his hand still covered in dried blood.

"I'll be back soon…if she wakes up…tell her tha'" he stood up, looking at Rick, who nodded, and pressed a kiss to Riley's forehead, whispering to her that he loved her, before leaving the infirmary.

**Ooooooooooo**

"She'll be okay, man, she's a tough kid" T reassured Daryl from the driver's seat of the SUV. Daryl caught his eye in the rearview mirror and nodded.

"Yeah, all the shit she's been through, she wont let a bullet take her down" Glenn tried his best to cheer up the boyfriend of his best friend. Daryl grunted.

"Can we just not tal' abou' it?" Daryl asked quietly as they pulled up into the middle of town, and the other men nodded. They left the vehicle, quietly, their weapons raised just in case. Glenn headed to the pharmacy, whilst T darted into the general store. Daryl paced the streets, on guard to both of the men. Glenn made it out of his store first, a wheeled basket in tow, full of things the group needed. Daryl kept watch whilst the Asian boy loaded the goods into the trunk of the SUV. T then pushed a cart full of food, clothes and baby things into the street, the wheels rattling slightly, so all three men lifted it and carried it to the car, to prevent attracting any unwanted attention. The trunk barely closed with all the stuff they'd managed to scavenge, but Daryl managed to press it shut.

"I cant believe nobody's cleaned these stores out yet" sighed Glenn, as they climbed back into the vehicle.

"Either that's a good thing or really, really bad" growled Daryl, his eyes scanning the row of stores from his spot in the backseat. His eyes then caught site of a store and he placed a hand on the back of T's seat. "Wai' here"

"Daryl…we gotta get back, it's getting dark" warned Glenn

"Ah won' be long" Daryl insisted, darting off before either of the men could argue. They sighed and slumped back in their seats, watching the clock on the car, which was probably wrong, but it gave them something to look at. Daryl was back before they'd even counted ten minutes, and they began their short journey back to the prison. Once back and safely inside, Daryl charged back to the infirmary, bursting through the doors. Hershel was bent over Riley, checking her pupils again with a flashlight and checking her pulse. "How is she?" he demanded

"Still the same. Her pulse is stronger, but other than that…" Hershel trailed off and Daryl swallowed. "I've managed to find an IV, her body will be dehydrated, she'll need the fluids."

Daryl nodded and sat back down beside her, taking her hand again. His thumb stroked the back of her hand gently as Hershel left the room.

"Yer gonna be okay, ya hear me? Been through a lot worse than this, I know ya, ya aint no wuss" he bent down and kissed the back of her hand softly "I need ya, Riley, cant do this without ya" he whispered. He rested his head on the mattress and gazed up at her. His head flinched away when he felt her hand move. Then her eyes fluttered. "Baby?" he asked quietly and she groaned a little in jumped up from his seat. "Baby? Riley?" her eyes opened slowly and she looked up at him.

"Daryl?" she croaked "W-what…" she moved her head and saw the IV. She turned again and looked at the bandage around her, she then tried to sit up and a scream pierced the prison as white hot pain seared through her.

"HERSHEL!" bellowed Daryl "Baby…you need to lie still okay? Please…don' move"

"Daryl!" she sobbed as he stroked her face, her body shaking underneath him "What…oh my god it hurts!" she screamed as she wriggled around "Make it stop!"

"I can't baby…just lie still…you were shot…but yer okay…" Daryl soothed as Hershel, Maggie and Rick rushed into the room. Rick held Riley down with Daryl as Hershel injected her with something to help with the pain and calm her down. "I'm here…I aint goin' nowhere" Daryl stroked her hair as she relaxed into the bed, still trembling, tears pouring down her cheeks. She then retched, and Maggie dashed to her side with a bowl, pushing Rick out of the way and Daryl rubbed her back as she puked. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, wincing as she straightened up, the pain in her chest almost blinding. Riley sobbed as she glanced down at the bandage, blood seeping through the dressing. "I'm so sorry I let this happen to ya" Daryl whispered as she sobbed quietly, he stroked her hair rhythmically as the meds kicked in, and she fell back asleep, her eyes red and her cheek tear stained. Daryl turned to Hershel. "The pukin…that normal?"

"Her body's way of dealing with shock, I guess" the old man reassured Daryl "A great amount of pain can cause vomiting, she's okay, son, I promise"

"Mmm" Daryl turned back to his now unconscious girlfriend. "She wont freak out like that again will she? I think she broke the stitches"

"No, the initial shock will have passed, and we'll stitch it better when she's more mobile, the materials we have here aren't the best, so the transition from laying down to sitting up probably did the trick" Hershel felt Riley's forehead "There's no temperature, so there's no infection…just keep an eye on her"

"Trust me, I aint leavin' her again" Daryl growled

"Can we bring you anything?" Maggie asked gently, and Daryl shook his head. Maggie squeezed his shoulder as they left him. Rick smiled reassuringly, only to be met with a hard glare, and he left his friend alone.

**Oooooooooooo**

Riley's eyes fluttered open a few hours later, her body still heavy from the meds and deep sleep. She groaned a little, the pain in her chest still there, but less intense.

"Oh fuck me.." she whispered, pressing a hand to her eyes, rubbing them roughly. She glanced to her side and smiled a little; Daryl's head was resting on the bed next to her, and he was sound asleep, his hand still clutching her left one weakly. She unlaced her fingers from his, and used her hands to gently push her self up the bed. She bit her lip, trying not to cry out at the throbbing, burning pain. Daryl's head snapped up and he jumped to his feet.

"Wha' are ya doin'? Yer gonna hurt yaself!" he panicked, helping her sit up and propping her back with rolled up blankets.

"I'm fine…I'm fine" she hushed him, pushing his hands away and gasping as she felt a surge of pain through her chest and shoulder.

"Obviously" he sighed as she sat back on the pillow and blankets, breathing hard, her eyes closed. She swallowed hard, opening her baby blue eyes and looking at him. "You remember what happened?" Daryl asked her gently, and she nodded, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Yeah…right up until that bastard shot me" she sniffed, wiping her eyes "What…the prisoners…where are they?"

"In their cell block." Daryl growled "That cunt tha' shot ya's probably still rottin' away in the laundry room"

"Rotting..?"

"Rick took care 'a him" Daryl soothed her "He aint gonna hurt ya no more baby"

Riley pressed her lips together in a thin line, and nodded gently. Daryl bent down and placed a soft kiss to her head. "I really though' I was gonna lose ya.." he mumbled into her hair "Scared the shit outta me"

"I'm okay.." she pulled away from him and looked up at him, his gorgeous eyes were filled with tears. She smiled weakly at him and he kissed her lips softly, pressing their forehead together "I told you, you'll never lose me"

"Don' want to" he whispered "I couldn' cope without ya, Ri"

"Me either" she whispered back against his lips as he kissed her one more time. He then pulled back, breathing a little hard, chewing his lip. "Lay with me" she asked, and he nodded, gently moving her so there was room in the bed for him too. He laid on top of the blankets next to her, on his side and wrapped his arm around her, resting his chin on her head and she snuggled into his chest. They laid there for a few minutes in complete silence, thanking whatever God above that they both still had each other. "I love you" she mumbled into his chest.

"I love ya too" he whispered back "Look a' me" he tilted her chin up with his finger, so she was looking directly into his eyes. "Y'know…wha I said before…about ya bein' ma world? Ma life? I wasn't lyin'"

"I know, Dare" she smiled at him, he frowned down at her

"No..I don' think ya do…look, I ain't good at this relationship thing…an' I know you deserve better than me-"

"Daryl" she frowned at him and he pressed his finger to her lips gently

"No, lemme finish" he sighed "You deserve better than me an' I know it, but fer some reason ya put up with me..an' all my shit, an' ya have done since day one, an' I can' ever thank ya enough fer tha'…but…" he reached down into his pocket and pulled out a small black box, Riley's breath caught in her chest "I wanna spend the rest of ma life tryin'" he opened the box and a white gold band with a small princess cut diamond gleamed back at her. "Riley…I know it's fucked up a' me ta even ask when the world's gone ta shit, but I love you and I wanna do this…will ya marry me?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and follows, please keep reviewing as it spurs me on **** I really wanna hear your opinions! Also I apologise for not updating as often as I used to, I've been super busy and I normally only get to write at the weekends, but I'll try harder!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.**

**Kunfupandalover: I really appreciate your reviews **** thanks for the encouragement!**

**Maddy120296: :D!**

**MAR76: I know, poor baby! It made him realise how much Riley means to him though, so I guess its not a bad thing!**

**HarleyMastiff82: Aw thank you **** I don't see Daryl as a jackass at all, he's not like Merle (but even then, I think if Merle was in love he'd be the same!) he really cares about Riley and everything they've been through together has made him realise that! Ahhh will she say yes or no?! I think we know the answer :P**

**momoXvolturi: I know, right?! Haha I love to keep you in suspense! Thank you so much!**

**Special thanks to all my new followers and favourites, and also, let me know if you like my Scud story I've posted, I don't seem to be getting many reviews or follows on it, so if you don't like it, I'll delete it! And what are your thoughts on a Boondock Saints and/or a Red Canyon fic? Let me know!**

**Chapter 21**

Riley's heart pounded in her chest as she looked down at the ring, then back up to Daryl.

"Daryl…I…" she stammered. He sighed, his chest falling a little.

"I know…I'm sorry…it was stupid a' me…just ferget I asked ya" he mumbled, going to put the ring in his pocket.

"Yes" she said simply, and his head jerked up to look at her.

"Huh?"

"I said yes. I will marry you" she smiled at him. He grinned back and opened the box, taking the ring out and taking her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger as his own hands shook. Once the ring was in place he kissed her hand softly and then kissed her lips with a little more force. They broke apart, grinning like fools.

"I love ya" he mumbled, stroking her cheek with his thumb

"I love you too" she smiled back, glancing down at her new engagement ring "Daryl its beautiful.."

"Like ya" he let her lie back on his chest again, careful not to let his arm bump her stitches. She winced a little as she sat back. "You honestly like it? Aint it kinda…small?"

"It's perfect" Riley raised her hand up so the diamond caught the light, glimmering gently. "It's exactly the ring I've always wanted"

"Good" he smiled, placing a gentle kiss in her hair and holding her to him. His brain was racing a million miles an hour, swimming with thoughts and mixed emotions. Yeah he was happy, but at the same time he was scared shitless. He didn't know nothing about marriage. His parents weren't a prime example, and Merle had always insisted that marriage was for pussies; that it made you weak and less of a man. Daryl brushed the thoughts of his brother aside as his fingers combed through Riley's hair. All he had to do now was find someway of getting them married. _Even if it kills me_, he thought.

**Oooooooooooooooooooooo**

Riley recovered quickly from her wound, much to the surprise of everyone else, and was up and about the prison in the next few days. The men clapped Daryl on the back and the women cooed over the ring when they broke the news to everyone, and Carl was more interested in the fact that him, Rick and Riley were now 'gunshot buddies'. The group seemed to be more 'together' now, and a lot happier, a lot more at home. Carol would cook dinner every night, and the rest of the women would help her clean up afterwards and do the laundry. Riley tried to help, but Carol insisted that she rest, there would be plenty of time to help when she was fully recovered. By the third day after Riley had been shot, she felt right as rain, and finally Hershel let her go back to sleeping in the cell with Daryl, under the agreement that if she was in pain, or needed help with anything, she wouldn't be stubborn and she would actually tell someone. Daryl settled in the bed next to his fiancée, and wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could. He whispered to her in the dark, telling her he loved her, and he needed her, and she smiled into his chest, eventually falling into the best sleep she had managed to get in a long time. She awoke in the early hours of the next morning; Daryl had rolled over onto his stomach and was snoring something chronic. She rolled over and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep. And then her stomach flipped and she felt that tell tale feeling of saliva increasing in her mouth. She quickly untangled herself from the sheets and sprinted to the next cell, the one with the toilet, and before she could even kneel down, vomited harshly into the bowl, bringing up what little food she had in her stomach. She threw up twice, before slipping weakly to the floor, leaning her head back against the cool stone wall.

She threw up again at breakfast, the smell of cooking eggs was far too much for her, and the group frowned in concern as she sprinted to the communal bathroom once again. Riley was hugging the porcelain throne, spitting out the last of the bile, when a glass of water was placed by her. She wiped her mouth and looked up; Carol was stood there, sympathetically smiling at her.

"Thank you" Riley mumbled weakly as she sipped cautiously. Carol sat down next to her.

"You know, when I was pregnant with Sophia, the smell of eggs got to me too" the older woman said softly "It got so bad that Ed actually had to cook his own breakfast" she chuckled lightly and Riley smiled weakly back. Carol placed a hand on Riley's hot shoulder. "Sweetheart, forgive me if I'm overstepping here, but..I do the laundry, I notice when some of the women…are caught out by that time of the month…I've noticied you haven't for a while now, and you haven't asked me for a tampon or anything either…how long has it been since you had a period?"

Riley swallowed hard. She hadn't even thought about that stuff, yeah, she'd missed her last two periods, but she thought it was just from losing so much weight…that could stop them, right? And she and Daryl had been using protect…._fuck_. No they hadn't. She'd taken the last of her pills at the farm…meaning to ask Maggie for some more, but then they had to leave and the thought kind of..slipped her mind.

"Oh shit" she whispered quietly, her hand moving down to her stomach and clutching it slightly. Her eyes were wide with panic as she looked up at Carol. "Carol…"

"Oh honey" Carol wrapped her arms around the young woman, holding her tightly as she sobbed. "It's okay…it's okay…we all make mistakes"

"W-what am I gonna do?! I-I-I cant have a baby! D-Daryl.."

"Daryl will support you whatever you do" Carol told her firmly "I can see that without even asking. We'll all help you, okay? But you don't know for sure…I think Lori might have a leftover test from the farm, I'll get it for you, okay? You take it and then we go from there"

Riley sniffed, wiping her eyes. She nodded and Carol helped her up from the floor. She paced in the bathroom nervously, waiting for the older woman to return with the test. When she did, Riley's heart thudded in her chest as she went into a toilet stall. She returned with the test, and waited.

_Positive._

**Oooooooooooooo**

The Georgia sunlight beamed down on the prison yard as Riley made her way across it. She approached Daryl, placing a hand on his back, stroking the tattered wings on his vest.

"I need to talk to you" she said quietly after he'd kissed her. He'd opened his mouth to respond when Beth's scream pierced the air. Riley and Daryl whirled around and stares in shock as a herd of walkers shuffled into the courtyard.

"What the hell?!" Daryl bellowed, drawing his bow "Get inside, we can talk later"

"But Daryl I can fight!" she protested

"No! I almost lost you a few days ago, I aint goin' through that again!" he roared over his shoulder, as he, Rick and Glenn raced forward, guns drawn. Carol and T sprinted over to reseal the gate, Beth and Hershel sealed themselves in a fenced in entryway, and Maggie grabbed the Jersey girl's arm, pulling her inside with her, Carl and Lori. They raced through the prison, heading towards their cell block, but Carl stopped the women as he spotted a group of walkers nearby.

"Back up!" he whispered and they nodded, doubling back and entering the dark corridors. Lori let out a yell and doubled over. Riley rushed to her friend's side.

"What is it?!" she panicked, noticing Lori clutching her stomach and a wetness seeping through the older woman's pants.

"The baby..it's coming!" Lori yelled and Riley looked at Maggie, who returned her panicked look. Lori screamed in pain again as her son looked around in a panic.

"In here!" he called, opening a door, and Maggie and Riley supported Lori and helped her into the room. Carl blocked the door from the oncoming walkers, and rushed down the stairs. Riley bit her lip as she looked around the boiler room, leading Lori down the stairs. Once on the lower ground, Riley and Maggie laid Lori on the floor, the older woman sobbing and sweating in pain. Maggie undid Lori's pants.

"What are you doing?!" Carl gasped in shock, looking down at his mother

"She's gonna have to deliver this baby, now!" Maggie answered

"Here?!" Riley gasped

"We don't have a choice." Maggie answered, throwing Lori's pants aside. "Lori, you need to push, okay?"

Lori nodded, and Riley grasped her hand as she gritted her teeth and pushed downwards, screeching in agony. Riley encouraged her friend as best she could, but inside she was terrified. Maggie told Lori to stop pushing, a panicked look on her face.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?!" Riley demanded, and Maggie lifted her hands up; they were covered in blood.

"She's haemorrhaging" Maggie said in a shaky voice

"What do we do?!"

"I…I don't know" the country girl whispered as she looked down at Lori. She was losing blood fast.

"I'm..I'm not losing my baby" Lori wheezed "You have to cut me open"

"No!" Riley insisted "Lori, you'll die!"

"Do it" she said firmly to Maggie, who nodded weakly. Riley moved out of the way so Lori could say her goodbyes to her son, and she and Maggie fought back tears. Lori then pulled Riley close. "You are gonna be okay…do you hear me?"

"Lori…I-"

"Ssh. Your baby…you're gonna have a a boy…I can feel it." Lori smiled weakly at the younger woman "And you and Daryl…the baby…you're all gonna be fine. He'll look like Daryl, but he'll have your eyes, I just know it" she whispered and Riley hugged her tightly, not even bothering to question how she knew about the baby, and placed a kiss to Lori's clammy forehead. "Look after Carl and my baby…and tell Rick I love him and I'm sorry"

Riley bit her lip and nodded, wiping her eyes and clutching Lori's hand as Maggie cut her open. Lori screamed and then passed out. Maggie scooped the baby out and wrapped it in a towel, passing it to Riley.

"it's a girl…"

Riley's hands shook as she took the infant, and sighed in relief as its cry echoed through the boiler room. Riley had never held a baby before but this felt…natural. Normal. Riley got up and immediately took the baby away from her mother, who Riley knew was dead now, blood pouring from her stomach.

"We can just leave her here" Carl's voice broke through the silence "She'll turn"

Maggie and Riley looked at each other, and Maggie held out her hand, motioning for Carl's gun. "No" he whispered "I'll do it"

"Carl…" Riley breathed, rocking the baby in her arms.

"Go!" he cried and Maggie and Riley moved towards the exit to give him some privacy. They both jumped a little at the gunshot, and Carl pushed past them, heading out of the room. They made their way in silence through the corridors, and back out into the courtyard. Baby Girl began crying again as they emerged into the sunlight, the others all turning around in shock. Rick's eyes wander to Carl, to the baby, and then to the other grief stricken women. He collapses in grief as the realization washed over him. Riley handed the baby to Beth, her knees feeling weak as Daryl wrapped his arms around her, and she sobbed into his chest, her hand gripping her own stomach. Daryl whispered to her that T and Carol both didn't make it, and she cried harder, her knees giving out and leaning completely on Daryl. He hushed her, told her it was gonna be okay, and that he loved her, and he was proud of her. Rick roared in anger, grabbing his axe and striding into the prison. No-one followed him. Hershel examined the baby, determining that she was healthy.

"She'll need formula, and everything else that we don't have" he said gently to the group.

"I'll go" Daryl said, and Maggie volunteered to go with him. He kissed Riley gently before leaving. The rest of the group made their way inside, leaving Riley alone. Her hands were trembling as she sat on a bench, her head in her hands. Was she going to die giving birth too? Could she do this? Could _Daryl_ do this? Did he even want a baby? Her mind was swimming with questions as she placed her elbows on the table of the bench and sobbed silently. The loss of her friends and the confusion and terror or the pregnancy was too much. Hershel, Glenn, Axel and Oscar dug three graves in the grass, and Glenn glanced over at Riley, who was now watching them through the fence, her face pale and worn. He gave her a small wave, and she simply turned and walked back inside, no emotion on her face whatsoever. He sighed and glanced back down at the graves.

**Oooooooooooooo**

Night had fallen by the time Daryl and Maggie returned to the prison, with all the baby supplies. Rick was nowhere to be found and Riley, Glenn, Hershel, Axel, Oscar and Beth watched as Carl cradled his baby sister for the first time. Her cries echoed around the cell block as Carl shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to do. Riley sat at the small table and watched, her hand resting on her stomach, absent mindedly stroking it over the fabric of her shirt, even though there was no bump. Daryl and Maggie entered the cell block and Riley got up, walking over to Daryl and wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him close.

"Hey" he mumbled

"I missed you" she whispered back, pulling away and kissing his looked over to Carl, who was still struggling to hush the baby, and he smiled at Riley, before walking over and taking the baby from Carl. Everyone looked on confused and Riley felt her heart practically melt as Daryl took a bottle from Beth and began to feed the baby. She was immediately quiet.

"Yeah..you like that? Huh?" he tilted her up towards him "Lil' Ass Kicker?" he grinned as he looked around the group "Right?"

The group, including Riley, laughed softly and agreed with him. Riley watched Daryl with the baby, unable to take her eyes off of him and a weight lifted from her shoulders. He was a natural. Watching him with the baby was…amazing. This was a side of Daryl that even she hadn't seen before.

"Lil Ass Kicker…you like that, huh? You like that, sweethear'?" he cooed as the baby's eyes began to droop. He passed her back to Beth once she'd finished the bottle, and everyone turned in for the night. Daryl laced his fingers with Riley's. "You wan'd to talk?"

Riley swallowed. Too much had happened today, she couldn't burden him with this. Not yet. Especially after Lori…

"It wasn't important" she gave him her best smile and kissed his lips. "let's go to bed"

Daryl frowned and then nodded, and the pair ascended the stairs, entering their cell and climbing into bed. Daryl dropped off to sleep quickly, but Riley lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, her hands resting on her stomach. "It's gonna be okay" she whispered in the darkness.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and follows, please keep reviewing as it spurs me on **** I really wanna hear your opinions! Also I apologise for not updating as often as I used to, I've been super busy and I normally only get to write at the weekends, but I'll try harder!**

**Chapter 22**

Hershel married Riley and Daryl the following week, in the courtyard, under the midday sun. Glenn and Maggie had surprised the couple with a pair of white gold rings from their recent supply run, and they decided now was a good a time as ever to do it. Riley's hands trembled as Daryl slid the white gold band onto her finger, as she spoke the words that would bind them together forever.

"I do" she whispered, smiling up at her new husband. She took his hand and eased the ring onto his finger, as he repeated her. He kissed her softly afterwards, and the group rejoiced, along with the baby, this was finally something good within the group. Riley Addams was gone. Her life was gone. She was now Riley Dixon, and she'd be damned if she let anything get in the way of her new life, with her husband…and their child.

Over the next few weeks, Riley couldn't find the right moment to tell Daryl about the baby. It frustrated her to no end; it was going to be hard to hide soon. She had to talk to Hershel insecret, so he could check that she and the baby were healthy. Of course this was limited by the amount of medical supplies they had, but they made do. Carol had been found safe and sound by Daryl, and she spent most of her time taking care of the baby, who was now named Judith, with Beth. Riley watched from a distance, and Carol knew she was nervous. Carol was the only one, aside from Hershel, that Riley could confide in.

"Hershel seems to think I'm about twelve weeks" Riley mumbled, rubbing her stomach, which, call her crazy, but she swore was getting firmer. Carol smiled. "He said everything looks okay so far…I just…"

"Still cant tell him?"

"Everytime I try, something gets in the way…its driving me insane, he has to know something's up…I try and hide it and then…everytime we…y'know.." Rileys face flushed as she gestured, hoping Carol would pick up on it, which she did "Everytime his hands go near my stomach, I push them away"

"I'm sure he doesn't notice during that" Carol giggled and Riley smiled, laughing a little too. "Men are oblivious during sex"

"Hmm…I just…I need to tell him, but I know he's gonna freak"

"Don't spend too much time thinking about what you're going to say" Carol handed Riley a few dishes to dry as they hovered over the sink in the cafeteria, cleaning up from breakfast. "Just…come out with it. It's the best approach for something like this"

Riley nodded, absent mindedly drying dishes. Glenn and Maggie made their run into town during the afternoon, and Riley decided to spend some time with Judith, whilst Daryl, Carl and Oscar searched the lower levels of the prison, properly this time, as last time they were distracted by Carol's re-appearance. Rick was still off the deep end, spending most of his time in the boiler room where Lori died, and telling Hershel that he was speaking to another group of survivors on the phone. Beth, Carol and Riley sat in the prison courtyard, on the bench, and Carol taught Riley how to hold and feed the baby properly. Riley already had some idea, but as usual, she was doubting herself. She found herself mesmerised by the little girl's stunning blue eyes, and Riley couldn't take her eyes off her, even as she finished the bottle and drifted off to sleep.

"You're a natural" Carol smiled, placing a gentle hand on Riley's shoulder. Riley gave her a small smile and went back to rocking the little girl. A few hours later, Daryl, Oscar and Carl emerged from the prison, followed by Rick and Hershel. Rick's face was worn and tired, as Riley handed his daughter to him, his face lit up. He stared down at the precious thing in his arms and it was like all the weight on his shoulders had lifted. He looked out over the prison yard, and squinted, looking over towards the fence.

"Carl, take her" he ordered, passing the baby to her older brother, and walking closer towards the fence. The rest of the group followed his eye line.

"That's not a walker…" Riley mumbled, as she saw what Rick was staring at. It was a woman. A live one. And she was clutching a bag of her own, and a bag that looked like the one Glenn and Maggie took. She glanced at the survivors in the prison, and then dropped to the floor. "Rick!" gasped Riley as walkers beared down on her. Carl handed the baby back to Riley as he, his father and Daryl charged towards the outer fences, eliminating the walkers and carrying the unconscious black woman inside, her leg bleeding profusely.

**Ooooooooooooooo**

"So..Maggie and Glenn…they're gone?" Riley asked weakly and Rick nodded.

"She said they're in some place called Woodbury…run by a guy who calls himself The Govenor"

Daryl scoffed

"What sorta arrogant asshole calls himself that?" he scowled "He aint no threat"

"Daryl, it's a town of 75 people…if you ask me, that's a threat" Rick said quietly

"Well, we have to go get them!" Beth said, shrilly, her eyes filled with tears "We cant just sit around and talk about it!"

"I agree" Riley nodded, rocking the baby back and forth. A decision was made for Daryl, Rick and Oscar to go and rescue Maggie and Glenn, with the help of the new woman, whose name was Michonne. Riley pulled Daryl to the side. "Daryl…we really need to talk"

"Riley, I gotta go, I'm sure it can wait" he mumbled, kissing her cheek, telling her he loved her and walking out out the cell. Riley screamed in frustration.

"DARYL I'M FUCKING PREGNANT GODDAMMIT!" she yelled before she could stop herself. She saw him freeze in the cell doorway. She was breathing hard as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"What?" he said quietly, not facing her.

"I'm sorry..i-its just I've been trying to tell you for weeks and I-"

"Weeks?!" he hissed, turning to face her this time, his eyes shining.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled weakly, unable to think of anything else to say. He said nothing. "Daryl..please…I'm sorry…please say something.."

"We'll talk abou' this when I get back" he said quietly and she swallowed hard, nodding to herself as he walked away. She collapsed on their bed, her head in her hands and let the tears fall.

**Ooooooooooooo**

Michonne lead Rick, Daryl and Oscar into Woodbury, and they left her to find Glenn and Maggie. The three men followed the sound of gunfire into an old warehouse, where they found a beaten, bloody and shirtless Glenn, and a terrified Maggie.

"The hell happened?!" growled Daryl, helping Glenn to his feet.

"Your brother, that's what happened" spat Glenn and Daryl frowned at him

"Merle did this? He's the govena?!"

"No, more like his right hand man" hissed Maggie, tensing at the sound of approaching feet. Rick released a smoke grenade, and the group managed to escape from the warehouse. The group hid in the town's distribution centre, away from the gunfire and yells.

"Merle was gonna kill us" Glenn said to Rick, who looked at Daryl.

"Naw…tha's not ma brother" Daryl shook his head, refusing to believe what he was hearing. "Rick, lemme find him, I can talk ta him.."

"No" Rick said sharply "I need you here. With me." Rick placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder "Are you with me?"

Daryl scowled but nodded. The group then made a run for the town wall, dodging gun fire as they sprinted. Daryl ducked behind a car, whilst the group ran on ahead. Daryl crouched behind the car, loading another bolt into his bow, when a sharp pain ran through the back of his head, and everything went dark.

When Daryl came to his senses sometime later, the world was dark. All he could hear was muffled screams, and yells, and his feet were dragging along the floor. He realised he had a bag over his head, and he was being dragged somewhere he didn't want to go. He struggled against his captors as the sounds around him became clearer.

"Kill them! Kill them!" a chant echoed around Daryl as his feet were made to plant flat on the floor, and the bag was ripped off his head. He squinted, everything coming into focus. A large crowd leered at him, in some makeshift…arena? Torches lit the arena and walkers were chained up around the ground. Daryl's head whipped around as a man's voice filled his ears. This guy had to be the governor. He had a patch over one of his eyes and he was stood on some sort of podium, leering down at Daryl.

"You wanted your brother" he snarled, as Daryl was shoved into the middle of the arena "You got him"

Daryl raised his head and stared ahead of him, taking in his brother's arm. The missing hand had been replaced by some metal contraption.

And his older brother stared back.

"A FIGHT TO THE DEATH!" roared the Governor, and the crowd screamed in joy. Merle looked his little brother up and down, returning the cold, hard stare. He raised his arms to the crowd.

"You know me! I'mma do, what I gotta do" he punched Daryl in the stomach, sending him reeling, down onto the floor "To prove ma loyalty ta this town!" he kicked his brother again, and Daryl yelled in pain. Merle turned his back, panning to the crowd and Daryl struggled to his feet, taking a swing at his brother, who reversed it and threw him back down. Daryl dragged Merle with him, and clutched his hands around his older brother's throat, squeezing hard.

"You really think this asshole's gonna let you go?!" Daryl grunted with the effort of holding onto his brother's throat.

"Jus' follow ma lead lil brother" Merle wheezed, his body shaking with how hard Daryl had him held "We're getting' outta this"

The brothers threw a few more punches to each other, Daryl still getting knocked down, before Merle pulled him up and spun him around so the brothers were standing back to back, facing the walkers and the crowd together. The Dixons fought off the oncoming walkers, punching them and shoving them back into the crowd. Gunshots echoed through the arena, causing the crowd to run, screaming and panicked. Rick tossed a smoke grenade over his shoulder, allowing the group, plus Merle to escape from the clutches of the Governor.

**Oooooooooooo**

"We don' know who she is" Daryl said to Rick, Glenn and Maggie, gesturing to Michonne as the group stood in the road with the cars, discussing how to move forward. Glenn and Maggie made it pretty clear that Merle wasn't welcome, and Michonne stood watching them as they argued. "Merle…Merle's blood"

"No, Merle is _your_ blood" said Glenn "My blood, my family is standing right here…waiting for us back at the prison"

"And you're part of that family" Rick said to Daryl "And Riley is too…but Merle…he's not"

They all glanced towards Merle, lurking in the woods, resting his metal arm against the tree.

"Fine…we'll fend fer ourselves" Daryl growled

"No, that's not what I'm saying.." Glenn said

"No him, no me" Daryl stated

"Daryl…you don't have to do that…what about Riley? Your wife…your baby?" Maggie said, and Rick and Glenn stared at him, unaware that Riley was pregnant. Daryl looked at the ground, blinking back tears.

"She's better off without me..I aint no good fer her" he looked up at the group "It was always Merle and I before this.."

"Don't.." Maggie begged him

"Are you serious? You're just gonna leave like that?!" Glenn frowned at him "What the hell are we supposed to tell Riley? She's your wife!"

"She'll understand" Daryl said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. The group stood insilence as Daryl looked around. "Say goodbye ta ya pop fer me, tell him…to look afta my wife"

"You cant leave her!" Maggie grabbed his arm as he walked past her "I cant let you do this!"

Daryl carried on walking and Rick jogged up to him

"There's gotta be another way" Rick stared at his friend, who shook his head.

"Don't ask me ta leave 'im…I already did tha' once" Daryl carried on walking and Rick followed.

"We started somethin' last night, you realise that?"

"Merle…no him, no me, it's always been tha same" Daryl insisted, opening the trunk of the car and gathering his things. "Take care a yerself…of Lil Ass Kicker and Carl…and…take care of Riley and the baby…okay?"

Rick stared at his friend in shock, but nodded. Daryl shrugged his backpack onto his shoulders and walked towards his brother, who whooped in celebration. "C'mon bro.." Daryl said quietly, wrapping his arm around Merle, who smirked back at Rick.

**Oooooooooooo**

Merle and Daryl stalked through the woods, after having just rescued a family on the bridge. Daryl had pointed his bow at his brother during a disagreement, and Merle wasn't happy about it. The sunlight glimmered off of Daryl's wedding band, and Merle grabbed his brothers arm once they were back in the woods.

"The hell is tha' boy?!" he growled, Daryl wrenched his arm from his brother and continued walking. "Hey! You deaf? What the hell ya doin' wearin' a goddamn weddin' ring?! Ya get hitched whilst I was gone? Find yerself a nice tidy piece?!" he studied his brother as he froze.

"Don' talk about Riley tha' way" Daryl growled under his breath

"Riley? RILEY?! The fuckin' hot ass Jersey chick? Damn, little brother, all I thought you was gonna do was stick tha wood to her and then toss her ass out, didn't expect ya to pussy out and marry the girl!"

Daryl growled again, turning to face Merle. "You really gone soft, Darylina, I'm disappointed."

"Fuck you." Daryl said quietly

"Huh?"

"I said FUCK YOU!" Daryl bellowed "I love 'er, she loves me an' we're a fuckin' family now! Which is more than ah can call you! I went back fer ya, Merle, and I came back this time! I've left ma wife, who's pregnant with ma kid, by the way, to be with yer sorry ass, jus' like ol' times!"

"She's pregnant?" Merle asked quietly. Daryl stood, looking at him, breathing heavily and nodded.

"An' if you weren't such a simple minded piece a shit, you would'a never a lost yer hand, and you'd have been wit' us, through everythin' and I wouldn't be here now!" Daryl roared, tackling his brother, who threw him, face first into the ground, Merle's knife catching the back of Daryl's shirt and tearing it open. Merle stood in shock at the sight of the scars on his little brother's back, whilst Daryl tried to cover himself up.

"I-I didn't know he was.." Merle started

"Yeah he did.." Daryl panted, throwing his bag across his shoulders "He did the same ta you, that's why ya left first" Daryl pulled himself up and walked away

"I had to man…would'a killed him otherwise" Merle tried to explain himself, but his brother didn't want to know. "Where you goin?" he called out to his brother, who stopped and turned to face him.

"Back where I belong…back to ma wife, to ma kid"

"I cant go wit ya!" Merle yelled and Daryl stared at him "I..I tried to kill that black bitch…damn near killed the Chinese kid!"

"He's Korean!" Daryl yelled back

"Whatever! Don't matter, man, I just cant go with ya"

"Ya know…I may be the one that's walkin' away, but yer the one who's leavin" Daryl pointed an arrow at his brother "Again" and with that, he walked away, leaving Merle in the woods, by himself.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Riley embraced Maggie tightly as they entered the prison, and did the same to Glenn, before they went to get checked out by Hershel. Rick and Michonne followed after them. Riley grabbed Rick's arm.

"Where's Daryl?" she asked, swallowing hard as the man avoided her eyes. "Rick…where is my husband?"

Rick studied the young woman's face, swallowing hard before answering.

"He…left"

"What do you mean, he left?!" Riley's voice was sharp

"He left with Merle" Rick answered her "Said he wasn't leaving him again…I'm sorry, Riley, he said you'd understand…he told me to look after you…and the baby..I'm sorry"

Riley felt like she'd just been punched in the stomach. She took a step back from Rick, staring at him. Her hand went to her stomach instinctively. Her blood felt like ice. He was gone. He wasn't coming back. Her husband, the father of her child had left her. She'd told him about the baby and he wasn't coming back. She said nothing to anyone else, but turned on her heel and ran up the stairs to their…well, it was hers now, cell, slamming the gate shut and throwing the blankets over the bars, wanting to be alone. She looked around the cell, their home, and spotted one of his shirts on the floor. She bent down and picked it up, slipping her arms into the sleeves and buttoning it up, the smell of him enveloping her. She curled up on his side of the bed, and made no effort to control her sobs, clutching his pillow to her.

_What the hell am I going to do?_


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and follows, please keep reviewing as it spurs me on **** I really wanna hear your opinions! Also I apologise for not updating as often as I used to, I've been super busy and I normally only get to write at the weekends, but I'll try harder!**

**Chapter 23**

When Riley didn't come out of her cell the next day for breakfast, the group began to grow concerned.

"She needs to eat…for the baby" Hershel sighed

"We cant force her, Daddy, her husband just left her, she's heartbroken" Beth placed a hand on her father's shoulder as Carol fed Judith.

"We cant let her do this to herself" Glenn stated, and plated up some eggs for Riley, and took them up to her cell. He knocked softly on the bars, and let himself in. "Oh, Riley.." he sighed, at the sight of his best friend curled up in one of Daryl's shirts, staring at the wall. Her arms were curled around her stomach and her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Everyone had heard her sobs last night, and everyone wished they could do something. Glenn set on the edge of the bed, rubbing her back.

"How could he just leave?" she whispered to the wall

"I…I don't know" Glenn answered honestly. She sat up, hugging her knees to her chest and facing him.

"Do you think it's because of me? Because of the baby?" she mumbled, her eyes welling up again. Glenn set the plate down on the floor and pulled her towards him, embracing her tightly as she began to sob again. He stroked her hair gently, letting her get it all out. He wished he had an answer for her, but he didn't. All he could do was be what she needed right now; a friend. Once the tears had stopped flowing, she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of Daryl's shirt and sniffed. "I'm sorry"

"Don't be" Glenn smiled, offering her the plate "But you need to eat something, not just for yourself but for the baby too, we're not losing either of you"

"Thank you" she smiled weakly, taking the plate from him and spooning the eggs into her mouth slowly.

"So you've stopped doing Exorcist impersonations now?" he grinned, and Riley actually laughed, nodding. After she'd finished her food, Glenn left her and she changed her clothes. She pulled on black leggings and a long white cami top, with her trusty boots and,she couldn't help it, Daryl's shirt over the top. She rolled the sleeves up and buttoned it, and it hung off of her, but she needed some comfort. She made her way downstairs, smiling weakly at the rest of the group. She sat next to Carol and took the baby from her, rocking her gently. Once she was asleep, Beth laid her down in her crib and watched her whilst the rest of the group ventured outside. Riley sighed as the sun beat down on them. She crossed her arms under her breasts and stood in the middle of the courtyard, exhaling shakily. She didn't even notice Glenn getting into his car and driving off. She smiled at Carol and Axel chatting nearby, the two seemed to be forming a good friendship there. Then Riley gasped as a bullet struck Axel in the head, splattering Carol with his blood, and his body dropping to the floor. Riley ducked behind the nearest wall with Carl as gunfire rained down on the prison yard. Carol was using Axel's body as a shield from the bullets, and Rick and Hershel were stuck outside of the fences. Maggie ran out from the cell block, throwing Riley a gun. Riley aimed at the vehicles approaching the prison, and took down one of the men leaving the truck. She ducked back behind the wall as a bullet narrowly missed her shoulder. She peered back out and aimed at the guard tower, squeezing the trigger and celebrating internally as the shooter dropped from the tower, landing in the grass below. The gunfire ceased, and silence fell across the grounds. Then a truck crashed through the prison gates and stopped in the yard. A fully armoured driver jumped out from the driver's seat and opened the back door of the truck, and Riley swallowed hard as walkers streamed out of the vehicle, towards the survivors. Riley caught a glimpse of a man, with a patch over his eye, smiling evilly as he got back into his vehicle, and left, the other cars following him. Glenn's car sped past them, picking up Hershel and getting him to safety. Riley came out from behind the fence, checking Carl was okay.

"Riley, look!" Carl smiled, pointing towards the fences. She followed the small boy's finger and her heart beat increased twofold as she spotted Daryl, Merle and Rick heading back into the prison.

"Carl, go inside" she instructed, her voice trembling with emotion. Carl frowned up at his friend, before following his dad inside. Merle waltzed over to Riley, she took in his missing hand, and the contraption that now replaced it.

"How about a hug fer ol' Merle?" he cackled and Riley glared at him, causing him to drop his arms and back away. He glanced at Daryl, then back at Riley before heading inside. Riley turned towards Daryl, he slowly walked over to her.

"Riley, I-"

Riley's hand connected with Daryl's cheek, the loud slap echoing around the courtyard. His head snapped to the side with the force of it, and a perfect handprint had formed, red and angry on his cheek. She brought her hand back down, breathing hard. He lifted his head up and moved towards her again.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, pushing him back roughly "Get away from me!" although she was fuming with him, tears welled in her eyes as she looked at him. He didn't say a word, but carried on trying to get close to her. She shoved him roughly one more time, before balling her hands up into fists and hitting every part of him that she could, which was mostly his chest. And he took it, not saying a word. She thumped him until the tears overtook and she could barely see. She turned away from him and walked away, he grabbed her wrist.

"Lemme explain" he begged his wife, and she shook her head.

"Do you have _any_ idea what you put me through?! You left me!" she shouted in his face "Not only did you leave me, but you walked away from our _BABY!_"

"I know.."

"No you don't know, Daryl! You don't!" she sobbed

"You think it didn' kill me ta leave ya like tha'?" he said, quietly "It tore me apart"

"Then why?" she begged her husband, looking into his eyes "How could you?"

"I..I don't know" Daryl let her wrist go and he dropped to his knees infront of her. His head hung. "I'm scared" he admitted quietly, taking her hands in his. "Please…I'm so sorry"

"You broke your promise" she whispered coldly, before pushing him away and heading back into the prison, leaving Daryl in the middle of the courtyard, alone. That night, Daryl got what he originally wanted, and slept on the perch at the top of the stairs.

He gave her the space she obviously wanted for the next few days, but at night, before he could sleep, he would stand outside their cell, listening to her sobs through the blankets covering the bars. He swallowed hard; of all the fuck ups he'd made in his life, this was his biggest one and he knew it. He was no better than his own father. Daryl sighed, pushing himself away from their cell and heading over to his blanket and pillow on the cold steel. He laid down, staring up at the ceiling for hours, not sleeping, until the day came and he got up when the others did, but Riley didn't. She needed her rest. Daryl folded his blanket up and made his way down the steps, greeting the others.

"She'll come around" Maggie said gently, placing a supportive hand on Daryl's shoulder. He grunted at her and stalked off to the bathroom, needing and wanting to be alone.

"Trouble in paradise still, little brother?" Merle's voice filled his ears before he made it out of the cell block.

"She won' fuckin' talk ta me" Daryl ran a hand through his shaggy hair "Can' even look at me"

"She'll get ova it eventually" Merle shrugged as his brother scowled at him "She's all hormonal and shit cuz of the little bastard, righ'? She'll come crawlin' back to ya when it's time to squeeze it out"

"Don' talk about her or the baby like tha', in case ya fergot, this is all yer fault!" Daryl's voice raised in volume as he glared at his brother. Merle glared right back.

"Watch yer mouth boy, aint no good blamin' me fer yer fuck up"

Before Daryl could even realise what he was doing, his fist connected with Merle's jaw. Merle reeled back, caught off guard by his little brother's strength, and wiped blood from his mouth. Daryl stood there, his chest heaving and his fists clenched. "Ya ain't no better than him" Merle muttered and Daryl roared, launching himself on his older brother and landing punch after punch onto every bit of him that he could reach. The two brother's fought viciously, slamming into tables and walls, and the noise and yells from them reached the other prisoners, and they all came running in to break them apart. Rick and Glenn grabbed Daryl off of Merle, and Daryl struggled against them.

"I SHOULD NEVA HAVE COME BACK FER YA!" Daryl screamed "I HAD EVERYTHIN'! I WAS BUILDIN' A LIFE FER ME AN' RILEY AND IT WAS FUCKIN' PERFECT BEFORE YOU SHOWED UP AGAIN! YA FUCKED EVERYTHIN' UP LIKE YA ALWAYS DID!"

"I'M YER FAMILY!" merle roared back, wiping more blood from his nose "YER FLESH AND BLOOD, YA SAID IT YERSELF! SHE AINT NOTHIN' TO YA!"

Daryl roared and almost managed to wrench himself from Rick and Glenn's grasp, wanting to get to his bastard brother and pound the shit into him, but they held him tightly.

"SHE'S MORE TO ME THAN YOU ARE!" Daryl yelled, breaking free and running towards his brother again, and they began to push and shove each other roughly. Riley pushed through the group of survivors that were just watching helplessly and ran in between the brothers, pushing them apart.

"ENOUGH!" she screamed at the top of her voice, and to everyones surprise, the brothers ceased, standing either side of Riley and glaring at each other, their chests heaving.

"Riley-"

"Don't, Daryl." She snapped and Merle smirked. She balled her hand into a fist and landed a solid punch on Merle's cheek. He reeled back, clutching his face in shock, and the survivors mouths gaped open. Riley stalked towards Merle. "Who the hell do you think you are? You've been gone for more than a year, and you think you can just waltz back in here and start telling everyone what's what? Well, guess what, Merle, that isn't how it works. Your brother came back for you. He did everything he could to try and find you. And don't you dare say he didn't. You could've easily come back to camp, but you didn't, did you? You made the choice to fuck off on your own, so that is not something you can pin on Daryl. Daryl has become more of a man over the last year than you ever will be, Merle Dixon, and all this guilt tripping is only because you're jealous of what he's done, and what he has now. And you're feeling like a bit of an idiot, aren't you, for cutting off your own fucking hand, when you know, deep down, that you could've just waited for the group to come get you. There was no way those walkers could've gotten to you. But now, I think T shouldn't have been such a decent guy and fucking let them tear you apart." She was breathing heavily as she glared at Merle, who said nothing "I thought there was some fucking good in you, but I guess not. And by the way, I may not be Daryl's flesh and blood, but this" she put a hand on her stomach "Is"

Daryl took a step forward and placed a hand on his wife's back. She turned around and glared at him. "And don't think I've forgotten about you. " Her eyes filled with tears "You lied to me Daryl, you broke your promise. I needed you, more than ever, and you left. I thought you were better than that. You're not the only one who is scared, and confused, and doesn't know what to do, but I thought that we could be scared and confused together. You put me through Hell, and damn near broke my heart. I may have left you at the farm, but that was so you could have a chance at escaping, and I had every intention of finding you. But, you had no intention of coming back, did you? You left because he" she pointed at Merle "made you think it was the right thing to do. I don't know if I can forgive you for this…" she sighed, and Daryl tried to take her hand. "Don't" she whispered and turned to walk away. She reached the bottom of the stairs and sharp pain shot through her stomach, making her take a sharp breath in and causing her to double over. The group gasped, and Daryl rushed over to Riley, followed, surprisingly by Merle.

"Riley? What is it? What's wrong?" Daryl panicked, taking his wife's hand in his, she shook her head and let out a groan through gritted teeth as another wave of pain washed over her.

"Doc!" called Merle, and Hershel came rushing over. "Is it the baby?"

"The stress of the situation isn't good for her" the old man looked at both brothers "Get her into the infirmary, I'll need to check her over"

"Come on princess" Merle grunted, hoisting his brother's wife into his arms as Daryl stood there motionless. "Daryl!"

Daryl's head snapped up at the use of his proper name from his brother, and followed them into the infirmary. Riley was struggling against Merle's hold.

"Get offa me, I'm fi-" she let out a yell of pain, cutting off her sentence. Merle laid her on the bed gently, glancing at his brother.

"Riley, I need you to calm down" Hershel soothed the young woman, who nodded, and inhaled slowly, and exhaled slowly. "Daryl" Hershel motioned for her husband to come closer

"No" she grunted, holding up her hand. "Get out" she glared at the brothers, her face sweaty and pale with pain "Both of you"

Daryl said nothing, but nodded as he left the infirmary. Merle glanced at his sister in law.

"Ya cant be mad at him fer ever ya know, princess. He loves ya, he came back didn't he?" he said before leaving too. Riley threw her head back on the pillow, breathing heavily as the pain subsided. Hershel checked her blood pressure carefully.

"Riley, I know you're mad, but you cant do this to yourself, it's not healthy, for you or the baby" the old man said gently, patting her on the hand

"Hershel, how can I forgive him? He left" she sighed, taking the water he was offering her.

"But like Merle said, he came back" Hershel said firmly "Daryl isn't a bad man, you know that as well as I do. He cares about you, he's just a frightened man, I remember how terrified I was when my wife told me she was pregnant with Maggie"

"You were?" Riley looked at the old man, who nodded, smiling.

"Went into town and drank myself stupid. That was the first night she locked me out of the bedroom" Hershel chuckled and Riley smiled weakly back. She leant her head back against the pillow and sighed.

"You think I over-reacted?" she asked Hershel, who chuckled and shook his head

"Not at all, they both deserved what you gave them" Hershel stroked his beard "They both listen to you, that's when you know they know they're wrong"

Riley chuckled and finished off the drink of water. She and Hershel stayed in the infirmary for a while, just talking, until she felt well enough to get back on her feet. She walked out of the infirmary and Daryl was sat directly outside. He got to his feet the moment he saw her.

"Is everythin'…the baby..?" he asked weakly, and she nodded.

"Everything's fine" she reassured him and he let out a shaky breath, nodding. They stood in silence for a minute, avoiding each other's eyes.

"Riley..I'm so sorry" he whispered, looking at the floor. She sighed, taking his hand in hers.

"I know" he looked at her face, squeezing her hand gently "Just don't expect me to forgive you right away"

"I wasn't anyway" he mumbled, lacing their fingers together. He kissed her wedding ring and pulled her into a tight hug. She immediately felt her body relax as she breathed him in. She loved him, she couldn't deny that, and as much as she wanted to continue being mad at him, she didn't know if she could. Daryl kissed the top of her head gently, whispering over and over again how sorry he was, how much he loved her…and the baby. "I aint ever leavin' again, wherever I go, you go too" he breathed into her ear and she nodded slightly. He pulled back and placed a hand on her stomach, his thumb rubbing it tenderly. He then dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around Riley's waist and showered her stomach with small kisses. "I love you, so much" he whispered as he rested his head against her stomach. She tangled her fingers in his hair and held him there.

"I know" she assured him

"Say it back" he begged her "Please…need ta hear ya say it"

"Not yet" she shook her head sadly and he sighed, placing one kiss against her belly and standing up. She kissed his cheek gently and walked up the stairs, stopping halfway and holding out her hand to him. "Come lay with me" she said quietly, and he nodded, taking her hand and letting her lead him up the stairs. She bent down and picked up his blanket and pillow from the perch, and led him into their cell. She laid down on the bed, and Daryl kicked off his boots, crawling next to her and wrapping his arms around her, holding her tight.

This really was where he belonged. And although she hadn't forgiven him, he knew she wasn't letting him go anywhere.

And he didn't want to.

**A/N This chapter was soooo hard to write! I couldn't be mad at Daryl for too long, could you? Anyways, the next chapter will be up within the next few days, thanks for reading and keep reviewing! xo**


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the favorites, follows and reviews, it really means so much to me! I'm sorry I have updated for near a week, Ive been crazy busy! Hopefully my updates this weekend will make up for it!**

**Chapter 24**

Riley's eyes fluttered open in the early morning, and she uncurled herself from Daryl's sleeping body. She swallowed hard as she stood up; as much as she wanted to forgive him, she didn't know if she could. He'd held her all night long, whispering to her sleeping form in the dark, about how sorry he was, how scared he was about becoming a father, how much he loved her…until he'd drifted off himself. Riley padded out of the cell quietly, her bare feet silently creeping across the prison, not wanting to wake anyone. She pushed the door to the courtyard open slowly, wincing at the squeaks from the hinges. The morning breeze greeted her, as well as the gentle sunlight, when the door opened and she stepped outside. It was dead silent outside, not even the bugs were chirping. She walked the fence slowly, looking out over the grass. She stopped and leant against the fence, hooking her fingers in the links, the other hand on her stomach, as the sunlight bathed her face.

"Ya cant stay mad a' him fereva ya know"

Merle's voice repeating what he had said to her yesterday made her jump, and she turned around to face him. He was sat on the bench behind her, in his wife beater and cargo pants. The knife that was normally tucked into his arm brace was not there, and it made him look less menacing. Not much, but a little bit. She sighed, and turned back away from him.

"I know" she said gently

"Then why not give tha boy a break? He came back, di'n' he?" Merle got up from the bench and stood next to Riley, leaning on the fence and looking at her.

"That's not the point, Merle" she looked down at her feet

"I know it ain't. He broke his promise to ya, righ'? He tol' me all abou' it." Merle watched Riley as he spoke "Look, princess, Daryl aint like me. He aint a bad man. Never has been, never will be. He loves ya, I cin see tha', I know I give him shit fer it, but tha's jus' how I am. It broke his hear' ta leave ya…an' he's righ'. It was me tha' made him leave. He didn' do it cos he wanted ta"

"But he still went"

"Cos he's loyal ta his family" Riley opened her mouth to argue but Merle held up his hand "Look, Riley, I aint gonna argue wit' ya, but just lis'en ta me. Daryl's here now, an' he ain't gonna leave ya or the kid again" merle glanced down to Riley's stomach "I'll make sure a tha'. He's scared he's gonna turn out like our pa, an' he's scared a lettin' ya both down. Ya know as well as I do tha' that aint whats gonna happen, but hes still scared. " Merle shifted uncomfortably "An' I hate seein' him hurt like this. I understand yer pissed, honey, but don't torture him"

Riley sighed, tears forming in her eyes.

"I've been a bitch, haven't i?" she asked quietly. Merle chuckled

"Aint pregnant women supposed ta be?"

Riley sniffed and chuckled, shoving him gently.

"Fuck you" she smiled, looking up at him. He gave her a toothy grin.

"C'mere" he mumbled, holding his arms out to her. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Sweetheart, yer my brother's wife, I aint gonna try nothin'. Although, truth be told, I'm a lil pissed he got to ya ferst" he joked, and Riley laughed lightly again, letting Merle pull her towards him and hug her tightly.

"I missed you, Merle" she admitted "We both did"

"I miss ya too, princess" he mumbled, his chin on top of her head. "An' ya tell anybody tha' I hugged ya, and I'll deny it"

"I know you will" she sighed, smiling in her brother in law's arms.

"So, Uncle Merle, huh?"

**Oooooooooooo**

Riley felt a million times better after her heart to heart with Merle (of all people!) and they walked back inside together to find that almost everyone was now awake. Daryl was sat at the small table, making some more arrows for his crossbow, and his head turned at the sound of Merle and Riley's voices. He eyed them suspiciously, and went back to his arrows.

"Hey" Riley stood over him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey" he grumbled back, not looking at her.

"Can we…can we talk?" she asked him quietly, and he looked up at her. The cold, empty look in her eyes was gone, and it was replaced with…well…her look. He nodded, placing his bow and arrows on the table and standing up. He followed her back to their cell, and sat next to her on the edge of the bed. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Riley began to speak.

"Look, Daryl…I'm sorr-"

"No don't ya say tha', ya aint got nothin' ta be sorry fer" he interrupted, taking her hand.

"No, I do. I've been an enormous bitch to you these last few days.."

"Aint nothin' I don' deserve" he mumbled, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand

"But I shouldn't have carried on being mad at you. I was just scared. Scared and upset"

"I know"

"But…you came back. I was mad that you left but you came back, and that's what matters, right?" she smiled weakly, looking up at him. He nodded, smiling back at her. She leaned in and their forehead pressed together.

"I aint goin' nowhere again, I swear" he whispered, squeezing her hand. She nodded and kissed his lips gently.

"I love you" she whispered against his lips and he immediately felt the huge weight he'd been carrying around with him for the last few days lift. "I love you so much"

"I love you too, baby" he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. Riley smiled as they pulled apart, taking his hands and placing them on her stomach. His breathing shook as he felt her stomach, how hard it felt. It was too early to feel any movement from the baby yet, but just knowing it was in there was incredible.

"You're not gonna be like him" Riley whispered, and Daryl looked up at her. "You're a good man, and you're gonna be an amazing father" Daryl swallowed, hard.

"What if I aint?" he asked softly

"I've seen the way you are with Judith" Riley stroked his cheek "Even the way you are with Carl…the kid idolises you…you're protective, kind, sweet, loyal…everything I'm guessing your dad wasn't?"

Daryl nodded, still looking down at her stomach. She tilted his face up to her. "I'm just as scared as you are, baby, but I know you wont let us down"

"I already let ya down"

"You did what Merle wanted you to do." Riley said firmly "He told me..I know..but.." she sighed "That's behind us now, we gotta focus on this…now"

Daryl nodded, and they laid back on the bed for a while. Daryl's head was resting just above her stomach and he was tracing patterns on her soft yet firm skin with his fingers.

"Never thought I'd be a dad" he mumbled, Riley smiled, running her fingers through his hair.

"I never thought I'd be a mom"

"What do ya think it is?" Daryl asked, turning his head to look at her, and she shrugged.

"No idea, why, you hopin' for something particular?" she smiled

"Ah always wanted a son, ya know, someone I could teach ta shoot an' hunt an' stuff"

"Girls can do that too" Riley argued and Daryl snorted. She smacked him around the back of the head lightly "Aw come on Dare, you cant see yourself running around after her? Daddy's Little Princess?"

"Shut up" he laughed softly "I aint learnin' how ta braid hair an' shit"

"You'll damn well learn" Riley giggled as Daryl placed a kiss on her stomach and crawled back up to lie with her. "I think it's a girl"

"It aint"

"Is"

"Aint"

"jesus, will you two shut the fuck up already?" Merle's voice filled their ears from the doorway and they both flipped him off. "Don' get me wrong, I'm happy tha' ya sorted ya shit out but we got other things ta think about"

"The Governor" Riley sighed, and Merle nodded. Carol peered around the cell door, interrupting the three Dixons.

"You need to come outside" she said quietly, and the three stared back in confusion, but followed her anyway. Riley squinted in the sunlight as Carol led them over to the group.

"Andrea?!" she gasped, as she watched Rick search their friend against the fence. Once he was done, he allowed Andrea to rush over to Riley and hug her. "I thought you were dead!"

"Naw, she's been shackin' up wit' our friend the Governa, aint ya Blondie?" smirked Merle, crossing his arms over his chest and studying Andrea hard. Andrea's head dropped as Riley held her at arms length.

"What?" Riley frowned at her friend, who avoided her eyes.

"Look, I'll explain everything inside" Andrea sighed, looking around at the group "Where's everyone else? T-Dog? Shane? Patricia and Jimmy?" she looked to Rick, and then to the baby in Beth's arms "Lori?"

Rick looked away from her and pushed past everyone else,heading back inside. Andrea gasped, clasping a hand to her mouth.

"We've lost a lot of people since the farm" Maggie explained, and Andrea blinked back tears, trying to process the information. Riley rubbed her arm, soothingly, and she noticed Andrea's eyes drawn to the rings on her finger. Andrea then looked at Daryl and back to Riley, who nodded, giving her friend a small smile.

"Come on, we'll go inside and you can tell us everything…and we'll tell you everything" Riley said gently, and Andrea nodded, following her old friends into their home.

**Oooooooooooo**

After Andrea had explained everything to the group, how she and Michonne had survived the winter togethers, everything about Woodbury and The Governor, and why she stayed for so long, it was obvious that Rick still didn't trust her, and neither did Michonne. Riley sat and watched as Andrea cradled Judith, looking at the little girl with complete adoration and awe.

"She's beautiful" Andrea smiled down at the infant, who cooed away in her arms. "And you'll have one soon, too…and you got married…God, I cant believe it"

"Neither can I" sighed Riley, happily. Carol squeezed Riley's arm gently, comforting the younger woman.

"Andrea…what about The Governor?" asked Carol, quietly, and Andrea's shoulders lifted as she sighed, heavily.

"I don't…I don't know" she whispered

"Do you love him?" asked Riley, taking the baby from the blond woman, who shook her head

"No…no I don't" she admitted

"Then maybe…you could end this?" Carol fussed over Judith a little, before looking at Andrea again.

"What do you mean?" Andrea sat on the prison floor, looking up at the two women in front of her.

"You need to go back, sleep with him again" Carol said, quietly so no-one else would hear "Give him the greatest night of his life, and get him to drop his guard. Then, when he's sleeping…"

"End it" Riley nodded her head in agreement. Andrea chewed her lip, looking down at the floor, and then nodded. She understood what needed to be done. The rest of Andrea's time at the prison was short, but it was comforting to know that someone familiar was still alive. Rick gave her a car, as well as a gun and knife for her journey back to Woodbury, warning her to be careful. Riley stood, leaning on the fence as she watched her friend pull away in the car, giving her a small wave. Daryl stood next to her, nodding slightly at Andrea, his arm protectively around his wife's waist. Rick turned on his heel and walked back over to the rest of the group, stopping just by the newly married couple.

"Keep an eye on your brother" he warned Daryl "If he causes a problem, it's on you"

"Hes not going to, Rick" said Riley, sharply. He said nothing, simply nodding and walking back inside. Daryl sighed heavily, and Riley looked up at him. "What's wrong?" Daryl shook his head.

"Aint nothin'" he swallowed hard "Just…it aint gonna get any easier is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Merle..the Governa…the end of tha world" he shrugged "Always one threat afta anotha…I worry about ya"

"Don't" she kissed her husband softly on the lips "As long as I have you, I know I'm safe. Plus," she looked down at her stomach "Being pregnant doesn't stop me from using a gun, right?" she grinned at him and he smirked, shaking his head.

"Yer so stubborn" he sighed

"Yeah, but you love me" she poked him in the side and he shoved her back gently, reminding her of how they used to be back on the farm, when everything was simple…well…simpler.

"Shuddup Jersey Shore" he grinned as they made their way back into the prison

"You shut up, hick" she giggled as they closed the door behind them and went back into the cell block, where Beth was quietly singing, to herself more than anyone, and everyone else was winding down. Carl walked over to Riley and Daryl, smiling at them. Daryl kissed Riley on the cheek, ruffled Carl's hair and left them to go find Merle. Riley sat down at the common room table and Carl copied her. "What's up, dude?"

"Nothin'" the teenager smiled and Riley pulled a face at him "You're so weird"

"Gee, thanks!" Riley clutched her chest in mock hurt "You should be nice to me, I'm pregnant, so I could just go crazy at any time, ya know"

"I know" Carl laughed a little, chewing his lip "Riley…are you…like my mom?" Carl lowered his eyes and Riley swallowed hard, placing her hand on the boy's. "I don't wanna lose anyone else" he mumbled quietly.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, buddy, I promise" she whispered, placing a finger under his chin and making him look at her "We're gun shot buddies, remember?" Carl smiled weakly at the older woman. "besides, if I have a boy, I need to be here to supervise the two of you, don't i?"

"Yeah I guess…" Carl smiled at his friend, squeezing her hand back a little "You're gonna need stuff for the baby, soon, right? Me, Dad and Michonne are going on a supply run tomorrow…Dad asked me to ask you what you needed…but its just the same stuff like we got for Judith, right?"

"Yeah, dude, I guess…I don't know" Riley shrugged "Never had a baby before….just grab me anything, dude, I trust you" she smiled at Carl, who beamed right back. He got up and walked round the table to her, wrapping his small arms around her. She blinked a little, stunned by the gesture of affection from him, but hugged him back, giving him a squeeze.

"You're still gonna be my friend, even when you're a mom" he whispered to her "You're still gonna be cool"

Riley said nothing, but smiled into the boy's shoulder, giving him one last squeeze before they pulled apart. Carl shifted awkwardly before tipping his sherrif's hat to her, she laughed and stood up and curtsied, before the boy walked back into the cell block, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She twirled her rings around her finger, smiling at them, before running a hand through her hair. She needed a shower, desperately. She pushed herself off the bench and headed into her cell, grabbing some clean clothes, and her towel. She poked her head into Merle's cell next door, where the brothers were sat, talking quietly.

"I'm heading for a shower" she told Daryl quietly, who nodded at her and she gave him a smile. Merle winked at her and she stuck her tongue out in response. The older brother chuckled as she walked away, heading to the communal bathroom, where Glenn was just coming out from his shower, his hair dripping wet. He blushed as soon as he saw Riley.

"Oh..uh…hey!" he said, all too cheerful and Riley raised an eyebrow at him. Maggie came trailing out from the bathroom after him, her face also flushing red when she spotted Riley. Riley burst out laughing at their expressions. "We were just…uh…yeah…" Glenn trailed off meekly.

"It's cool, your secret's safe with me, you filthy creatures" Riley teased, walking into the bathroom, making note to not use the shower unit that was still wet. She used the one a few units down, twisting the dial until the water was at perfect temperature. She sighed contentedly and grabbed shampoo, conditioner and body wash, placing it on the floor of the cubicle. She looked around, checking no-one else was there, before peeling off her dirty clothes, tossing them on the floor. She gasped a little as the water hit her skin, but she soon relaxed into it. She washed and conditioned her hair, massaging her scalp gently, revelling in how good it felt. She turned her back to the open part of the cubicle, letting the water crash down onto her head. Her body tensed when she felt a pair of familiar, large and rough hands grip her hips gently. Soft lips grazed her wet neck as a body was pressed against her back.

"You have any idea how fuckin' beautiful ya look?" Daryl's voice rumbled in her ear and she tiled her head to the side to allow him better access to her neck, her eyes still closed. A smile crept across her lips as he continued to kiss her skin, his hands rubbing up and down her sides. "I though' ya could use a hand gettin' clean"

"That's all you came here for?" Riley asked, still turned away from him, her eyebrow raised as she felt his 'intentions' pressed against her lower back. "I don't believe that for a second"

"I spoke to Hershel…he said it's safe fer us to have sex, aint nothin' gonna hurt the baby" Daryl mumbled into her ear, and her skin erupted into goosebumps. Her core throbbed and a fire spread through her belly. "But we don't have ta if-"

Riley turned around and kissed him, hard, cutting him off. She tangled her fingers into his hair, tugging it gently just how he liked it. He groaned against her mouth and pushed her back gently into the cool tiled wall behind her. She gasped at the cold against her warm skin, but that was soon forgotten as Daryl's lips left hers, and his head dipped down so he could gently nip and lick at her collarbone. Her eyes fluttered shut and she bit her lip, hating how easily he could render her speechless. She wrapped one leg around his waist, pulling his hips closer to hers, and they both groaned as the head of his cock grazed her damp centre.

"Please" she gasped, pulling his head back up to hers "I need you" she begged him, and he didn't need to be told twice.

Their moans echoed around the bathroom as they fucked, and Riley didn't even bother to try and stop the scream that erupted from her throat as she came. After it was over, they stood under the now cooling jet of water, holding each other close, not thinking about anything other than each other, right her, right now. They did their best to pretend that everything else didn't matter. The Governor, the walkers…nothing else existed at that moment in time.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the favorites, follows and reviews, it really means so much to me! I'm sorry I have updated for near a week, Ive been crazy busy! Hopefully my updates this weekend will make up for it!**

**Chapter 25**

Riley's pregnancy was advancing, and now she was five months pregnant, her stomach was really starting to show. Daryl loved it; he couldn't get enough of her, and luckily she was hormonal enough to keep up with him, sometimes even surprising her husband with how much she wanted him. The group had been living peacefully at the prison, but tensions were running high from the constant threat of the Governor and Woodbury. Nothing had been said about it since they saw Andrea last, but now, Rick was going to meet with this evil man, to try and come to some arrangement.

"I want to come" Riley said, to Rick as he briefed the group.

"No" Daryl and Merle both said, sharply, as the rest of the group looked at Riley like she was mad.

"Listen to me, you said this Governor had a kid, right?" she looked to Michonne who nodded. "Well, if he sees that there are children in this prison…babies…maybe he wont attack. Emotional manipulation" she shrugged. Michonne shook her head.

"it wont work, he's emotionally crippled"

"But it's worth a try, right?" Riley argued,turning to her husband "Daryl…you're going, right?"

"Yeah, but I ain't five months pregnant and emotional." He sighed "If you get angry, I know what yer like…could be game ova fer all of us, especially if he's got his lil army wit' him"

Riley opened her mouth to protest

"If she wants to come, let her. She's right, maybe we can pluck at this Governor's heartstrings" Hershel spoke up, silencing Daryl and Riley. She smiled at the old man, who winked back. "You know that she'll be safe with you, Daryl, and I'll look out for her too"

Daryl sighed, but nodded. Riley squeezed his hand and he returned the motion.

"Yer so damn stubborn" he growled and she kissed his cheek as they returned to their cell to gather up their things. Daryl threw a blanket over the cell door as Riley changed into her 'outside' clothes. He leant against the bars, watching his wife as she undressed, with a small smirk on his face. She caught him looking, and flushed a little as she stood before him in her bra and sweatpants, the bump of her belly now more evident.

"What?" she smiled at him, he shook his head, pushing himself away from the bars and towards his wife. He tangled his large hands in her soft hair and kissed her on the lips gently.

"Yer beautiful"

"Even when I'm all fat?" she sighed, poking her stomach gently. He rolled his eyes.

"Ya aint fat, baby, yer carryin' ma baby, do ya know how…sexy that is?" he growled, running his hands down her bare sides. She shivered, pushing him away gently.

"Freak" she giggled and he scowled at her, knowing she couldn't resist his sexy scowl. She rolled her eyes and kissed him hard. "Not now, Dare, we're leavin' soon"

"Hmm, fine" he sighed "I'll just have ta wait"

"Damn right you will" she smiled, before changing into cargo pants (with added elastic, thanks to Carol) and a long sleeved dark gray tshirt. Daryl helped her to lace up her boots as she couldn't bend down to do them, and he scoffed when she slipped a baggy beanie hat onto her head. She stuck her tongue out at him as she pulled on a gilet over her tshirt and tucked her Magnum into the back of her pants, and placing her machete in the holster on her hip.

"Ya look like a pregnant Lara Croft" he chuckled and she flipped him off, laughing herself. They met Rick and Hershel out the front of the prison, and drove to where the governor had instructed them to meet.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Daryl, Hershel and Riley waited outside the barn by the abandoned farm store, whilst Rick went in and had a discussion with the governor. Riley leant against the car, her arms folded as she watched Daryl pace back and forth, his finger twitching on his crossbow. Another car pulled up, and Andrea stepped out, followed by a Hispanic looking guy and a very pale, pasty man with glasses. Andrea nodded curtly at Hershel and Riley, then at Daryl before heading inside the barn. The Hispanic man eyed Daryl up and down, before looking at Riley. His eyes flittered over her belly.

"Yeah, I'm pregnant, what of it?" she snapped and the Hispanic laughed.

"Pretty mouthy for a white girl, huh?" he stepped towards her

"Back off" Daryl growled, stepping in front of his wife "Keep yer eyes off ma wife, or ya'll be eatin' em"

"Dare, it's okay" Riley whispered, placing a hand on his bicep. The Hispanic man snorted and spat at their feet. The nervous looking man cleared his throat.

"The Governor thought it best that he and Rick spoke privately" he mumbled

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl growled, Riley's grip on his arm tightened.

"Milton Marnet" he said "And this is Martinez" he gestured towards the Hispanic man.

"Great" Daryl spat "Governa brought his butler"

"I'm his advisor" corrected Milton, fumbling with his glasses.

"What kind of advise?" Riley asked, looking towards him. He looked shocked that a woman was speaking to him, and his eyes, like Martinez, flicked towards her stomach then back up again.

"Planning. Biters. Uh, you know, miss, no offence… I'm sorry. i don't feel like I don't need to explain myself to the henchmen" he gestured towards Daryl, who glared at him.

"You better watch yer mouth, sunshine" he growled, and Martinez smirked at Daryl.

"Look, if you and I are gonna be out here pointing guns at each other all day, do me a favour, shut your mouth"

Riley rolled her eyes at the male aggression, and watched as Milton sat next to Hershel, scribbling in a notebook.

"What's that?" she asked gently, tilting her head in question.

"A, uh, record of the post apocalyptic events, ma'am" he said, nervously "People will want to know what happened"

"Hmm" agreed Riley, as Andrea came out of the barn, with a face like thunder. The group stood in awkward silence for a while, Daryl and Martinez still eyeing each other aggressively, until they heard the familiar moans and shuffles of a small group of walkers approaching them. Riley pushed herself off the car, drawing her machete and slicing the nearest walker's head in half. "Five months pregnant and I still got it" she grinned to Andrea who smiled back and took down another walker. As it fell to the floor, the women watched as Daryl and Martinez took turns in a 'I can take down a walker better than you' pissing contest. They rolled their eyes, but Riley smirked at Martinez when Daryl picked up his hunting knife and threw it, effortlessly and gracefully it sank into the last walker's eye socket. "That's my man" she whispered to herself. Daryl rooted around in the dead walker's pockets, and drew out a packet of cigarettes, offering Martinez one.

"Nah. Prefer menthols" he mumbled

"Douchebag" growled Daryl lighting the cig in between his lips. Riley sighed at the smell, it had been over a year since she last had a cigarette, and now this was like torture, if she wasn't pregnant she would have been all over those smokes. "Sorry, baby" he mumbled, blowing the smoke away from her. She smiled at him, shaking her head.

"It's okay" she reassured him. "You do look kinda sexy with that, though" she leaned in to whisper to him, he smirked at her, one eybrow cocked.

"Yeah?" he teased and she nodded, grinning. The pair then pulled apart as the Governor came storming out of the barn. He paused for a moment, looking at Riley, the one cold blue eye fixated on her, making her shift uncomfortably.

"How many months?" his voice barked at her, and Riley could feel Daryl's body stiffen next to her. Her hand rose up to her stomach protectively.

"Five" she said firmly, staring back at him. "Nearly six"

The Governor said nothing, merely grunted, before climbing into his car, with Milton, Martinez and Andrea in tow. Riley grabbed Andrea before she could leave. "Andrea…you have to stop this, we have children in that prison, this cant end in bloodshed"

"I-I'm sorry, Riley" Andrea sighed, tugging her arm away from the brunnete and climbing into the car. Riley stared at the vehicle as it drove away, kicking up dust as it went. She sighed, turning towards the rest of her group.

"Let's go home" said Rick, quietly, and the group agreed, getting into their own vehicle and speeding back to the prison. Rick said nothing on the drive back, and the car was filled with a tense, uncomfortable silence. Riley was glad when they finally got back, hopping out of the car with ease. Daryl's fingers linked with hers as they walked back inside, to the rest of the anxiously awaiting group.

"Well?" asked Glenn, looking at Rick. The officer sighed, rubbing his temples, before speaking in a solemn voice.

"He wants us dead" he began, looking around the group "All of us, for what we did to Woodbury…we're going to war"

Riley's heart sank at the words and she clung to Daryl's hand tightly.

"What…what about the kids?" she whispered, her tongue licking along her dry lips. Rick's face was pale as he looked as his daughter in Beth's arms, and the swell of Riley's stomach.

"I..I don't know" he began weakly

"If he wants a fight, he's got one" snapped Daryl "he aint gonna win this Rick, no way"

"But he has the advantage" said Maggie, glancing at her father, who nodded sadly "More people, more weapons, more vehicles"

"We cant just lie down an' surrender!" growled Merle from the sidelines "C'mon Officer Friendly, what about ya kids? Ya aint gonna make Carl fight this war, are ya?"

"I can!" protested Carl

"No" said Carol firmly, making the group stare at her "We cannot risk any more lives,I am not losing anyone else!"

"We wont" Glenn assured her

"How do you know that?!" piped up Beth, cradling the baby in her arms as she began to grumble.

"Everybody just calm down, now!" Hershel raised his voice and everyone was silenced. "It's no good arguing about it, whats done is done and now we need to come up with some sort of plan" he looked to Rick "Walk with me, son"

Everyone watched as the two men walked away from the group and out into the courtyard. Riley swallowed hard, her hand resting on her stomach.

"Don't you worry, princess, aint nothin' gonna happen to ya, or yer baby" Merle assured his sister in law. "Aint nothin' gonna happen ta no-one here" he growled, looking around the room. "I aint gonna let it" he mumbled quietly to himself, thinking no-one had heard him.

But Riley did.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

When everyone was either asleep or in their cells later on, Riley sneaked out of hers, leaving Daryl snoring quietly, and next door into Merle's cell. He was packing a bag, with his back to the door and she bit her lip frowning.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she said sharply, making him jump and wheel around. His jaw locked when he saw her and he tried to kick the bag out of sight. She marched forward, pushing him out of the way and pulling the bag back into view. "The fuck is this, Merle?!" she hissed, as she studied the bag full of weapons. She glared up at him.

"Whatcha want me ta say, sweetheart?" he shrugged, sitting on the edge of his single bed, rubbing his face with his hand.

"I want you tell me that you're not doing what I think you're planning on doing" she whispered, standing in front of him, her arms crossed.

"We aint gonna win this war, darlin', not even wit the ol' man's planning, and Rick's 'leadership'" Merle said honestly "I don't belong here, aint nobody but you and Derle that want me here-"

"We _need_ you here Merle" she corrected him, sighing and sitting next to him, taking hold of his hand. He scowled, looking down at their hands, not used to the physical contact, but he didn't pull away. "Daryl and me…the baby…you're our family, we only just got you back. You talked me out of my shit, I'm gonna damn well talk you out of yours. If you go alone, you'll be killed," he snorted and she frowned "Yes, you will, Merle and you know it. Don't be a fucking hero"

"Sweetheart, don' think I don' appreciate this, but that shit aint gonna work." His eyebrows furrowed as her eyes welled with tears "Why do ya care so much, huh?"

"I…I love you Merle, you're like the big brother I never had, and I don't want to lose you.I don't want Daryl to lose you either. I know you guys fight and stuff but he looks up to you, loves you…it would kill him to lose you for good this time" she sniffed, wiping her eyes with her free hand "If you want to do this…at least don't do it alone" she kissed his scruffy cheek and let go of his hand, walking out of the cell. She paused at the doorway, looking back at him. "I lied"

"Huh?" he looked at her in confusion

"Before, I lied when I said I didn't think you were a good man. I do, I really do. I just don't think you do" she smiled gently at her brother in law before leaving him with that thought. He sighed, throwing himself back on his bed.

"I love ya too, sis" he mumbled into the dark.

**Author's note : Phew this is getting hard to write! I'm having some serious writer's block, so if anyone has any ideas, or something they'd like to see happen, please feel free to PM me, or leave a review letting me know! Thanks for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the favorites, follows and reviews, it really means so much to me! I'm sorry I have updated for near a week, Ive been crazy busy! Hopefully my updates this weekend will make up for it!**

**Chapter 26**

_The first time Riley felt her baby move, she almost dropped a plate. The second time, right after the first, the plate slipped from her hand and smashed on the cool stone floor, the sound echoing through the prison kitchen. She clutched her stomach, a grin sliding across her face as she felt a well defined foot kick her in the palm._

"_Daryl!" she yelled, unable to move her hand awa. She heard his thumping footsteps getting closer and closer, until he appeared in the kitchen, panting from how fast he'd ran. Merle trailed in behind him, as well as Glenn and Maggie. All four of them had a look of terror on their faces before they saw that she was fine._

"_Whassa matta?" Daryl rushed over to his wife, holding her at arms length and looking her over "Are ya okay? I heard the plate smash.."_

"_No, no, I'm fine" she smiled at him and he looked back at her with confusion in his eyes "Gimme your hand" she said gently, taking his large, rough hand and placing it on her stomach. She moved it over to where she had felt the kick, and held it there for a few minutes, before baby kicked again, harder this time, and Daryl's eyes widened. "She moved and scared the shit out of me, that's all"_

"_He" Daryl corrected, not looking up, a smile spread across his face as his child moved around. He felt every bit of it. "Tha…tha's incredible" he whispered_

"_I know, right?" Riley grinned and Daryl chuckled a little, the most sincere laughter she'd ever heard from him, or at least, that shed heard in a while from him, and kissed her firmly on the lips._

"_Love you" he mumbled, stroking her stomach with his hands. "Merle, c'mere"_

"_Only if ya stop wit' da soppy shit, gonna make me hurl ova here…"_

Riley snapped out of her daydream as her hands ran over her stomach. At eight months pregnant, her stomach was protruding greatly now, but she could still move easily. _Thank God_, she had thought to herself; she hated sitting around and not doing anything to help. As she patrolled the fence, much to Rick, Daryl and everyone else's protests, checking for walkers, the baby was using her belly like a football, and she winced, frowning down at her stomach.

"Ya gotta cut that crap out, Junior. I'm glad you're havin' fun and all, but it's kinda hurting me" she said to her stomach, and the kicking stopped. "Good baby" she patted the bump lightly and resumed her patrol, a rifle slung over her shoulder.

"First sign of goin' crazy, talkin' ta yaself" Daryl's voice invaded her eardrums and she turned around, smiling.

"Actually, I was talking to your spawn" she grinned, patting her stomach again "She knows to listen to me now"

"_He's_ gonna be a good kid then" Daryl smirked back, putting emphasis on the 'he'. Riley rolled her eyes, turning back to look out over the prison yard. Daryl's fingers laced with hers and pulled her away from the fence, and against his body. "I wanna do somethin'"

"Oh, really?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, smirking at him. He chuckled back and shook his head.

"Not that…well, not now anyways" he drawled "Remember, when we first met, ya challenged me ta a shootin' contest?" he gestured to the crossbow across the shoulder "We neva got round ta it"

"Aw, Dare, that's not fair, I haven't used one in like a year"

"Exactly" he grinned and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Cheat" she smiled "But, challenge accepted. I don't forget shit easily, and even eight month's pregnant I bet I can still kick your ass"

"Yer on, woman" Daryl smirked again. Riley allowed Maggie to take over her watch, and Daryl led her to the woods just outside of the prison fences. Riley watched, her arms folded over her stomach and a smile across her face as Daryl pulled out a small piece of chalk from his pocket, and drew a target on a tree with a very thick trunk. "Three bolts each, best outta three"

"Deal"

Daryl walked back over to his wife and handed her the crossbow.

"Ladies first"

Riley kissed his cheek and took the bow from him. She pressed the bow into the ground and grunted in effort to pull the string back, forgetting how hard it could be. Once it was pulled back, she lifted it up and drew a bolt, loading it quickly. One of Daryl's eyebrows was raised; it was kind of impressive, she certainly knew what she was doing. She aimed carefully down the sight, flicked the safety off and squeezed the trigger. The kick took her by surprise, and she stepped backwards as the bolt pierced the tree, narrowly missing the bullseye.

"Damn" she whispered and Daryl scoffed.

"Leave it ta the expert" he winked at her, taking the bow from her, quickly loading it and firing, hitting the target dead in the center. "Tha's how ya do it"

"Show off" Riley scoffed, and took the bow back and repeating the process. This time she hit the bullseye. "Damn straight!"

"Impressive, but I already won this competition, woman" Daryl joked, hitting another bullseye. "Two ta one, and ya only got one more try"

"Pfft"

The couple finished their little competition and Daryl raised his arms in victory, puffing his chest out. Riley rolled her eyes and shoved him, catching him off guard and sending his ass into the dirt. Riley roared with laughter as Daryl scrambled up, his face red, and dusted himself off.

"Oh, ya think tha's funny, huh?" he smirked, inching towards his wife slowly, with a look in his eye that meant she was in trouble. She swallowed, standing her ground.

"Yeah, pretty funny" she giggled.

"Well, I think it's kinda funny when I pin ya down and tickle ya…cos ya cant escape…" Daryl said slowly, getting closer.

"Daryl…don't you dare, I'm eight months pregnant and have no control over my bladder, if you make me laugh too much I _will_ pee myself" she warned, backing away now. But it was no use. Before she had time to try and waddle away, Daryl had her on the forest floor, straddling her legs and tickiling her mercilessly. Riley's shrieks of laughter echoed around the woods, both of them not giving a shit if walkers heard them, it had been so long since they could just have _fun_.

Merle watched the little family from the prison yard, he had been watching them ever since they went off. And for the first time in his life, a smile creeped across the older Dixon's face as he realised how truly happy his little brother was. He then came to his senses and walked off, his mind made up.

**OOOOOOOO**

Later that afternoon, the group worked on making the prison a safer place from any threat that the Governor posed. Carol and Riley stood on watch, Judith in Carol's arms, as the others laid spike strips at the entrance to the prison, although Riley had wanted to help, she could barely bend over now.

"You really think this will work?" asked Carol softly, shifting Judith on her hip.

"Yeah, like Michonne said, we have a better chance if we just make their getting at us more trouble than it's worth. You never know, the Governor might just give up and roll over" shrugged Riley, tightening her grip on her rifle.

"I really wish we weren't in this situation, its no good, for anyone, but especially Judith, Carl…you and the baby" Carol sighed "You cant give birth in a war zone"

"I wont" assured Riley "By the time this one arrives, this'll all be over, we'll have won, I just know it"

Judith babbled happily to herself as Merle walked back over to the women, nodding at them before heading back inside.

"I better put her down, she's sure getting' heavy now" Carol laughed, hoisiting Judith up making the little girl squeal. Riley smiled and nodded, looking back out over the yard as the others finished with the spike strips.

"Any good?" she asked Rick as they crossed the courtyard

"It's a start" the cop shrugged "Somethin's better than nothin' nowadays"

Riley nodded and set her rifle down onto the table as they reached the common room. Daryl, Merle and Michonne were nowhere to be found, but Riley shrugged it off. Hershel approached her and took her into the infirmary to check her over, checking her blood pressure, her weight etc and after he was done, she walked back up to her cell. She smiled as she stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall; Daryl was kneeling on the floor, a small toolkit next to him and the instructions for the crib Maggie had found in town spread out across the floor. She said nothing, and crept away, leaving him to it as his body language suggested he was getting frustrated with it. As there was nothing really to do, she decided to actually pick up and read the baby book that Beth kept forcing on her, and take it outside to get some air.

"Rick, when Daryl's done destroying that crib, just let him know I'm outside, will ya?" Riled asked, gesturing to the book in her hand. Rick laughed a little and nodded, turning back to his daughter. Riley picked up her rifle, just in case, and strolled outside. The courtyard was empty, and the GA scenery was quiet, for a change, and Riley sat on the bench overlooking the yard, rested her rifle next to her, and opened the stupid book. She sat reading for quite some time, becoming engrossed in the terrifying facts, until she yawned and set the book down. She stood up, stretching her legs, the harsh sunlight, although it wasn't warm, was making her drowsy. She zipped up her hoodie and shivered a little as she walked the fence once more. She then caught sight of Merle and oddly enough, Michonne, sneaking away from the prison. Michonne's hands were bound, and Merle had that damn bag of weapons slung across his shoulder. Riley's heart sunk. He was being a fucking hero, like she'd begged him not to be. Merle had Michonne's katana, digging the blade into her back as she walked in front of him, and they disappeared along the country road. Riley bit her lip as she looked around the prison frantically. The Governor would kill both of them for sure. She couldn't let this happen, but where was everyone else? Nobody had even noticed they were gone.

"Goddamn it, Merle" she whispered, picking up her rifle and heading out of the courtyard, making sure no-one saw her. They'd never let her do this. And she was sick of being told what to do. She slipped through the gates and headed down to the cars. She'd never catch them on foot. And Merle's bike was out of the question. She slipped into the silver Hyundai, grateful that she was the one everyone trusted with spare keys and whatnot, and started the engine. Riley pulled away from the prison and drove down the small roads, desperate to make the fuel last. She drove through a deserted suburban area, the houses all derelict and broke into, and worthless possessions thrown across front lawns, useless cars abandoned on the side of the roads and driveways…kids toys strewn across the tarmac…Riley sighed. There was no sign of Merle or Michonne; they must have cut through the houses. She drove for another fifteen minutes, the window rolled down so she could listen out for anything that might lead her to them. A blast of a car alarm in the distance echoed through the trees, and Riley cut the engine to pinpoint where it was coming from. "My hearing isn't as good as yours, Dad, but hopefully I paid enough attention to you" she mumbled to herself, as she started the engine once more and turned the car around, heading towards the source of the noise. She pulled up in an abandoned motel. The bodies of several walkers littered the ground, and they were definitely freshly killed. A few live ones stumbled around the parking lot, but Riley drove past them, noticing a small trail of fuel on the road. It thinned out a little, but she kept on driving in that general direction. "Where the fuck are you going, you fuckin' redneck?" she whispered as she sped along a bare stretch of road. She noticed something upahead, a human…walker? She squinted and put her foot down even more as she noticed the familiar katana in the person's hand. "Michonne!" she called, leaning out of the window. Michonne's head snapped up and she sprinted towards the car.

"Riley?! What the hell are you doing out here?!"

"I saw you and Merle leave, I couldn't…I'm sorry, I just couldn't let you guys get yourselves killed!" Riley gabbled, then paused, looking around "Where _is_ Merle?"

Michone avoided the woman's eyes.

"He let me go, said he had something hes got to do.." she said slowly. Riley's hands tightened on the steering wheel.

"Which way did he go?" she said firmly

"Riley, no-"

"Michonne, which way did my brother go?" Riley repeated and Michonne sighed, pointing in the direction Merle had driven off. "Get back to the prison, stay there, I'm gonna bring Merle back and we can make a better plan"

"Does anyone know you're gone?" Michonne questioned

"By now, probably. But tell them not to worry, I can handle this."

"But you're-"

"For fucks sake, Michonne, don't tell me what to do! I'm pregnant, I'm not fucking disabled! Just…" Riley sighed, looking at her friend "Please, I cant let Merle die"

Michonne swallowed and sighed, nodding.

"Don't get yourself killed, girl"

"Never" Riley smiled, before starting the engine. "I'll see you soon"


	27. WHAT WILL RILEY HAVE!

**Author's Note: Soooo we're nearly at the end of this fic! As sad as this makes me, I'm so grateful for all your favorites, follows, reviews and general feedback! As you all know, Riley will be popping out a little Dixon soon, so this is just a general poll so I can see what you guys want her to have! Boy or girl? **

**Message me or leave a little review on this 'chapter' to let me know, and we'll find out soooooon!**

**Atomicbaby xox**


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: So guys, here it is! The one you've all been waiting for! I hope it pleases all of you (because I'm scared you're gonna yell at me if something doesn't go to your liking…:'( ) But this ISNT the last chapter! I will write one, maybe two more because I don't want it to end! Not yet! I love Riley too much to let her go just yet! Let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 27**

Riley brought the car to a slow crawl as her ears picked up the sweet, sweet sound of music in the distance. And not just any music. _Motörhead_. She knew it was Merle, she just knew it. It had to be. She pressed her foot down harder and followed the beautiful sound to its source. But her heart sunk. The car was abandoned, the driver door flung open and walkers descending upon it as if it were fresh flesh. Riley parked the car up and stepped out quietly, wanting to draw as little attention a she possibly could to herself. She was capable of shooting, yes, but she wasn't too fast on her feet nowadays. She felt a flutter in her belly and she placed a hand gently upon it as she snuck around and behind the walkers, praying to whatever God above that they didn't catch her scent.

She managed to creep into an abandoned garage type building and ducked out of sight as she heard voices. Male voices, but none of them was Merle's heavy southern drawl. She kept her breathing steady as she loaded her gun quickly and quietly, and crouched down as low as she could and made her way over to the smashed in window. Her heart hammered in her chest as she spotted the governor, with his men, all heavily armed. The governor, his patch over his eye making him look all the more menacing, scowled as he looked around, obviously waiting for something. Or someone.

Riley attached the silencer onto the end of her gun, her hands shaking a little. She could see Martinez, the leader of the henchmen, approaching the abandoned car with walkers swarmed around it to investigate. Then a gun shot made her jump, and duck behind the wall for cover. She bit her tongue so she wouldn't let the squeal of surprise escape, and she swore she could taste blood. The governors men began open firing on the walkers around the car, and Riley held her breath as one of the governors henchmen sprinted past the window. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she crouched down and aimed her gun, the governor in her sights. She could do it now, take a clean shot to his temple and end it all. Her hand shook as she aimed down the barrel, and she flicked the safety off. Her finger hovered over the trigger, and taking a deep breath, she squeezed.

And at the last fucking second, one of his henchmen darted in front of him, and the bullet got him instead. Riley cursed under her breath and span back behind the wall. She heard more gun shots, and she peeked around the wall to see many of the governors men wounded or dead. She aimed again and took out another man swiftly; his body dropping to the floor before anyone even noticed another shot being fired. A young boy, couldn't have been older than 16, stood up next to the Governor, and Riley winced as the boy took a shot to the head, his blood splattering the governors shirt. She glanced in the direction of the bullet and spotted Merle, in another broken down building, lowering his rifle. His eyes caught Riley's and he looked at her in disbelief. Riley gave him a small smile, waving her gun to him, then her smile faltered as she saw a stray walker creep up behind her brother in law.

"MERLE LOOK OUT!" She screeched, completely forgetting where she was. She covered her mouth in horror as the Governor and Martinez whirled around in the direction of her voice. "Shit!" She cursed to herself, ducking back behind the wall. She'd blown it. It was over. She screamed as a hand reached through the broken window and grabbed her arm, hard; pulling her so she was face to face with the governor and one last surviving henchman. Martinez was busy grabbing hold of Merle. Between them, the governor and the other man hauled Riley through the broken window, and she yelled and struggled as they dragged her towards where Merle had been hiding. She swallowed back bile as she heard the sickening sounds of bone crunching and breaking, and the grunts of a man in pain. The Governor turned to Riley, sneering.

"You're going to want to watch this" he hissed, drawing out his pistol and heading towards a weakened and bloody Merle. "Restrain her" he hissed to Martinez and the other man, who both nodded and gripped Riley's arms tightly.

"No..." She whimpered as the governor laid into Merle, punching him, kicking him and making the redneck yell out in pain. Riley screamed and begged, and the governor froze, turning towards his henchmen.

"Can't you shut her up?" He hissed, his voice riddled with venom. The two men behind Roley shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you expect us to do, boss? She's pregnant" Martinez said, looking at his leader in disbelief. The governor narrowed his eyes at the men.

"Then get out. Leave them both to me, start the vehicle and get ready to leave. The noise will attract biters" he said in a low voice, and the men nodded, letting go of Riley and leaving. Riley went to move toward the governor, but he pointed his gun straight at Merle's head, flicking off the safety.

"Ah ah ah, young lady, one move and I kill him right now"

Riley backed away slowly, her eyes fixed on Merle in a broken heap on the floor, his nose bloody and his chest heaving with every breath he took.

"Why are you doing this?" Riley asked weakly, and the governor snarled, turning towards her and grabbing her by her throat, almost lifting her off her feet as she struggled and gasped for air. Her body shook as she felt dizzy and sick.

"Why?!" He growled "why am I doing this?! Why don't you ask your friend Michonne why she killed my little girl! Why she endangered my town!"

"Please..." Riley choked out, her lips turning blue and her eyes growing heavy as the governor squeezed even tighter around her wind pipe. The governor laughed evilly and let her go, and Riley crashed to the floor, her body weak and heavy from the lack of oxygen. She laid on her side, gasping for air as the governor turned back to Merle, his gun raised at him.

"Any last words?" The governor mused and Merle spat at his feet. "Perhaps you wish to beg for your life? I'm a sympathetic man, Merle, I may just listen"

"I ain't beggin' ya" Merle hissed and the governor laughed softly, his finger on the trigger, slowly pulling back...

"NO!" Riley suddenly yelled, kicking her leg out. Her foot connected with the back of the governors knee, and all she heard was the gun shot, and a yell of pain before her world turned black.

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

Merle yelped in pain as the bullet tore through his calf muscle, fresh blood spilling out and soaking his cargo pants. He glanced over at Riley, who was now slumped on the floor, bruises already forming around her neck.

"Stupid bitch!" The governor hissed, clutching his leg. He straightened up and aimed the gun again at Merles head, squeezing the trigger. Then he roared in anger as the gun clicked. He'd run out of bullets.

"Boss we got biters!" Yelled Martinez, a hint of panic in his voice. The gun shot and yelling had obviously drawn their attention.

"Another time, huh, govena?" Merle teased through gritted teeth as he clutched his leg, wheezing out a laugh. Although he knew he was fucked. He doubted he could walk and now he had to fend off god knows how many biters from getting at him and his pregnant, unconscious sister in law. Yup, well and truly fucked. And the governor knew it too. He didn't say anything, however, he just turned as walked away from the Dixons, and Merle heard the car door slam, and the vehicle drive away. "Shit" he grunted, shifting and crawling over to Riley, lightly slapping her on the face. "Come on Jersey, get cha ass up, ain't no time ta be nappin'" he growled in frustration when she didn't stir "Riley!" He yelled, shaking her roughly. That did the trick. Her eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Merle?" She asked weakly "you aren't dead?"

"Last time I checked I was still kickin', sugar" he assured her and she smiled weakly "now common, we gotta get us outta this mess, ya cin expect me ta yell at ya fer bein' so fuckin' stupid lata"

She laughed a little, pushing herself up off the floor. Then she froze and looked down. Merle followed her eyeline. "Aw, sweetheart, I know ya was probably shit scared, but yer a grown woman, ain't pissin' yerself a little unlady like?"

"Merle you fucking idiot!" She panicked "I didn't piss myself, my waters just broke! My fucking baby's coming!"

"Oh fuck me" Merle gasped "ya ain't nine months yet though...are ya?"

"No...I don't know, I don't think so! Fuck fuck fuck!" Riley hissed and then clenched her teeth as a wave of white hot pain tore through her womb "Shit!" She gasped, doubling over.

"Oh Jesus Christ" Merle panicked "what the hell do we do?" They could both hear the snarls and moans of the walkers outside, and the car was a good walk aways.

"We have to get back to the prison, I can't have this baby here without Hershel...and without Daryl" Riley said firmly and Merle nodded. She glanced down at his leg, her eyes widening at the blood "oh my god Merle! Why didn't you say you were hurt?!"

"Youse about ta be passing a melon through a lemon honey, didn't think it was tha' important" he shrugged, although his face was pale and clammy with pain. Riley frowned at his stubborness.

"Can you walk?" She looked at him and he shrugged, pulling himself up on his feet and taking a few cautious steps. He could walk, but it hurt like hell and he couldn't put his full weight on his injured leg.

"I ain't gonna be runnin a marathon anytime soon, sugar, but I can move. Common, up ya get" he said, grunting as he helped Riley to his feet.

"Sayin I'm heavy?" She joked, slinging his arm over her shoulder to aid his walking. Merle chuckled.

"Ya got another person inside ya, honey, ya ain't exactly featherlight" but he laughter ceased as she doubled over again, groaning in pain.

"Ohhhh my god" she hissed, clutching her stomach

"We gotta move it" Merle insisted, peering through the window. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief as he saw the walkers crowded around the back entrance of the small building, giving them a clear path to the cars from the front. "Alrigh', Jersey we cin do this, okay? Just don't stop movin' when we get outta here okay?"

Riley nodded and together they hobbled out of the building, as quickly as a pregnant woman in labour and a man with a bullet through his calf could, which wasn't very. They were about halfway to the car, when a sharp, blinding contraction ripped through Riley's body, and she screamed in agony. The heads of twenty walkers turned towards the pair, and their feet started shuffling towards them.

"Fuck" Merle groaned, hoisting Riley up "come on gerl, I know it hurts but-"

"Don't say you know how it hurts!" Riley growled through gritted teeth as Merle moved them towards the cars.

"Ey, don't snap at me sweetheart, save tha' fer yer husband, he's tha one tha knocked ya up!" He grunted with the effort of walking on his injured leg and moving Riley, who was in so much pain she forgot how to use her legs. Merle looked back and his heart rate doubled as the walkers got closer, their jaws snapping and their arms outstretched. He then lost his footing, and both of them tumbled onto the dry grass. Merle gasped in pain and actually felt sick with his wound and Riley curled up in a ball, trying her best to just ride the contractions out.

"Shitshitshit" Merle chanted, his gun was all the way back in the building, and Riley's was taken from her by Martinez. Riley reached into the back of her pants, throwing Merle the Magnum. He looked at her as he caught it, his eyes wide.

"For emergencies" she panted, clutching her stomach. He nodded and checked the chamber. Six rounds. Still it was better than nothing. He fired sparingly, protecting his ass and hers, as the undead inched closer and closer. He took done one, two, three, four, five, six...shit. He growled as the gun clicked, out of ammo and still fourteen walkers descending down on them. If only he'd remembered to attach his knife to his fuckin arm piece...

"MERLE!" Riley's panicked voice shook him from his thoughts, and he glanced over. A walker gripped onto her boot, holding on for dear life, swiping at her as she desperately tried to kick it away. He went to roll towards her but cold, decaying hands grabbed at his body and he couldn't move. Well, ya had a good run, Dixon...

"MERLE!" A familiar voice called his name, and he turned his head, a grin breaking out over his face. He'd never been so happy to see his little brother in his life. Daryl sprinted towards the pair, digging into the back of his pants and pulling out Dale's gun, tossing it to his brother. Merle chuckled, catching it, flicking off the safety and firing. Daryl loaded his crossbow and fired it, sinking a bolt straight into the head of the walker at Riley's feet.

"Daryl!" She cried in relief

"Took ya time, baby bro!" Merle yelled, firing off more rounds into walkers skulls "was beginning ta think ya'd fer gotten about us!"

"Ain't decided which one a ya I'm more mad at yet!" Daryl growled, finishing off the last few walkers and lowering his bow, rushing to his wife's side. "What in the hell were ya thinkin'?! Yer lucky ya weren't killed!"

"If it weren't fer her, Derle, I'd been one a them right about now!" Merle defended his brothers wife, gesturing to the walker corpses on the floor. Riley groaned in pain again, and Daryls eyes went wide in panic "spare her the lecture though, man, yer about ta become a daddy!"

"The-the baby? Now?" Daryl stuttered, gripping his wife's hand as she nodded, gritting her teeth.

"Hershel" she managed to get out and Daryl nodded. His eyes then travelled to his brothers leg, an he looked up at Merle questioningly.

"I'll explain later" Merle hissed as he pulled himself up, and between them, they moved Riley to the car. Daryl drove, as Merle was beginning to feel dizzy with pain from his leg, and Riley was laid across the back seat, trying so hard to think about things other than the molten agony spreading through her body right now. Daryl sped back towards the prison, practically crashing through the gates and into the courtyard. He slammed on the brakes, jumping out from the vehicle and running to Riley.

"Hershel! Rick! Glenn! Maggie!" Daryl yelled, and everyone sprinted outside, their eyes widening as they took in a bloody, beaten, limping Merle, and a pale, shaking Riley. Hershel looked at Riley then at Daryl, who nodded.

"Maggie, get Carol to see to Merle, I need you to help deliver this baby!" He ordered and his older daughter nodded, running inside yelling for Carol. Riley grunted in pain, squeezing Daryls hand hard as he and Glenn carried her to the infirmary. They led her down on the bed as Hershel instructed, and Glenn left the room as Maggie re-appeared. Daryl stroked Riley's clammy forehead as she shook from the pain. Maggie removed Riley's pants and moved her feet into the stirrups at the end of the bed. Hershel examined her briefly.

"You're about six centimetres dilated, Riley, so don't start pushing yet, no matter how much you want to" he ordered and she groaned, but nodded.

"Don't leave me" she begged Daryl, a look of fear in her eyes. He shook his head, kissing her hand that so tightly clutched his.

"Ain't goin' nowhere baby" he promise and she smiled weakly.

The rest of the group waited anxiously outside the infirmary, feeling useless. Carol and Beth had managed to patch up Merle's leg, and now the uncle to be was seated directly outside the infirmary door, listening to his sisters groans and wails of pain and wishing he could do something. Hours passed by, painfully slowly, and by 10 hours of being in labour, Riley was exhausted. She felt weak, and tired and she just wanted this kid OUT RIGHT FUCKING NOW. Hershel examined her again, and briefly nodded to Maggie.

"Okay, Riley, you're at ten centimetres now sweetheart, you can start to push"

"Daryl" she whimpered, clutching his hand as Maggie adjusted the bed. He bent down and kissed her head.

"You can do this baby" he assured her, and she swallowed, nodding.

"Take a deep breath in, honey, and push downwards for ten, okay?" Maggie said gently, right by her friends side as she nodded, inhaling. She then exhaled, pushing down with all her might until she counted to ten. The pain was indescribable. After ten, Riley fell back on the bed, panting and shaking.

"I can't" she insisted

"Yes you can" Daryl said firmly "break ma hand if ya need ta"

Riley scrunched up her face in effort as she pushed again, her hand holding Daryls in a vice grip and screaming out over and over again as she kept pushing.

"One more push" Hershel smiled at Riley and she nodded, inhaling deeply and pushing her absolute hardest, screaming at the top of her lungs until she couldn't push anymore. She fell back on the bed, panting heavily as Hershel wrapped the newborn in a towel. The sound of its cries filled the air and Riley sobbed in relief that it was over.

"It's a boy" Maggie beamed at the new parents, taking the bundle from her father and passing him to his mother. Riley's hands were shaking as she took hold of her son for the first time, and brought him to her chest. He was the spitting image of Daryl, but he had Riley's nose, and A light dusting of blonde hair over his tiny head. Riley and Daryl stated down at him, both of them barely able to believ this was happening.

"He's beautiful" Riley breathed out through her tears, she looked up at Daryl, who stated down at his son, tears in his eyes.

"Yeah...he is" he whispered, then kissed her hard "I love you"

"I love you" she whispered to her husband, then looked back at her son "hi little man...you wanna

meet your daddy? Daryl, hold him"

Daryl swallowed and nodded, taking his son from her, and holding him close.

"Hey there" he mumbled, rocking the little boy back and forth gently, the. Placing a kiss on his soft skin "he's gonna be a good hunter, I cin tell"

Riley laughed weakly, her eyes filling with happy tears as she watched the love of her life with their child. She laid back on the bed, her breathing calm.

And then she cried out in pain once more, clutching the sheets tightly and feeling the urge to push again. Daryl looked at his wife, gripping his son tightly.

"Hershel?" He questioned in a panic as Maggie and Hershel dashed to Riley's side once again, a look of confusion and concern on both their faces. Riley groaned through gritted teeth.

"Should I be pushing again?!" She panted out and Hershel shook his head, then his eyes went wide.

"There's another baby..."he frowned, looking up at Riley.

"What?!" She practically yelled, before crying out in pain again. Daryl felt his knees weaken. Maggie clutched Riley's hand this time as she pushed with all she could, and the second baby's cries filled the air, like its predecessor.

"Well, I never would have thought it but you have twins" Hershel said gently, placing the other baby in Riley's arms "You've got a very healthy son and daughter"

Riley looked down at her daughter in her arms now, and her heart swelled. While their son was Daryl's little clone, their daughter was all Riley, apart from the blond hair that dusted her little scalp. Daryl came closer and felt his heart melt as his eyes inspected his daughter.

"I got a daughter too?" He asked weakly and Riley nodded, smiling as widely as she could. "She's beautiful, looks just like you"

Riley and Daryl shared another loving kiss as Hershel and Maggie left the room to let them enjoy this moment together. Riley passed the little girl to her father, taking their son from him. She kissed the little boy softly, allowing his tiny fingers to wrap around her index finger, as Daryl wiped his eyes and looked down at his daughter.

"Hi sweetheart" he cooed to the little human, who stared up at him with bright blue eyes, Dixon eyes. He kissed his daughter tenderly, and sat on the bed with Riley as the two newborns drifted off to sleep.

"We gotta name 'em" Daryl mumbled, placing another kiss on Riley's head. "Any ideas?"

Riley looked down at the little boy in her arms, smiling gently.

"How about...Harley? Harley Emmet Dixon" she pondered, looking at her husband. "Emmet was my dads middle name"

"Ah like it" Daryl grinned, chuckling slightly at the motorcycle reference; Merle would like that. He then looked down at their daughter "I wan' her middle name ta be Sophia"

Riley leant her head against his arm, nodding gently.

"Me too" she swallowed "what about...Isabella?"

"Isabella Sophia Dixon...and Harley Emmet Dixon..." Daryl said slowly, looking at his children, before smiling. "Yeah, they're perfect"

The new parents spent a while alone with their tiny children, before a soft knock came on the infirmary door, and Merle poked his head around.

"Ya done poppin' out kids now?" he grinned and Riley chuckled, still holding her little girl, and shuffled herself up higher on the bed, nodding.

"Yeah, for now" she smiled up at Daryl, who looked like he was going to pass out. "I'm joking, baby. Merle…c'mere" she gestured to her borhter in law, who's eyes were fixated on the babies. "Meet your niece and nephew"

"Holy shit" Merle breathed as Daryl handed Harley to him.

"Harley Emmet" said Daryl, folding his arms as he watched his brother with his son. Merle actually smiled down at the small boy in his arms.

"Well I'll be damned" he said quietly as the baby stirred in his sleep, resting a tiny fist against Merle's chest "Daryl…this poor little bugger looks just like ya"

"Shut up" Daryl growled, but he was smiling at the same time. Merle passed his nephew back to his father, and then Riley passed him his niece.

"Isabella Sophia" she smiled as she spotted Merle's eyes actually _welling up_ as he looked down at the beautiful little girl.

"Aint she a peach?" he mumbled softly "Never though I'd see tha day when either of us became daddies, little bro"

"I know, me either" Daryl said quietly, wrapping one arm around Riley and holding her close, as his other arm held Harley tightly. "But it's tha best feelin' in the world, bro"


End file.
